The Argonne under threat
SAVING THE FOREST THREATENS THE MEMORY OF THE GREAT WAR
by Cor Speksnijder. Photographs by Marco Magielse
One imagines oneself in 1918, when the landscape had turned into a muddy charnel field after years of bloody battle.
Along a narrow country road through the Argonne, an undulating plain stretches, a dead, bleak terrain with stumps
of tree trunks and downed trunks. As if a huge bite has been taken out of the forest.
This devastation is not caused by bomb rains and poison gas. It is the work of a creature not much bigger than the head of a match: the bark beetle.
In order to stop the advance of this harmful insect, the French state forestry department is cutting down as many affected trees as possible. The authorities are trying to save the forest with felling. Sad lunar landscapes that damage the historical value of this area are the result.
The Argonne is a valuable open-air museum for anyone with an interest in the First World War. Trenches, bunkers and monuments such as the Kaiser Tunnel, the ossuary of the Haute Chevauchée and the hideout of the German Crown Prince Wilhelm are reminders of the slaughter that took place here. A walk along the former front line in the Argonne is a walk through history. The former battlefield is overgrown but still visible between the trees.
Saving the forest threatens the memory of the war. Where the forest disappears, the unique atmosphere of this area disappears. The heavy equipment used to clear and remove trees threatens to cause irreparable damage to trenches, shell holes and tunnels. Locations with a story are losing their character. The landscape becomes unrecognizable', says Jean-Paul de Vries, who has spent countless hours in the woods of Argonne. 'For visitors to the battlefields, this is particularly sad.'
Wandering through the Argonne forest is becoming less free. Where foresters are working with their machines to remove dead wood, hikers are barred. In parts of the forest where there are many dead trees, it can be dangerous to walk around, especially in strong winds. It remains to be seen to what extent areas with new, young plantings will be accessible to the public.
The bark beetle - scolyte in French - is particularly interested in spruce trees. These coniferous trees were planted here in large numbers during reforestation in the 1920s and 1930s. A few exceptionally dry and warm years due to climate change further weakened the forest, already vulnerable because of monoculture. The bark beetle took advantage of this. In the meantime, the creature has wreaked havoc not only in French forests, but also in Belgian and German forests. It will take at least twenty years before mature trees are back in the felled areas.
The end of the plague is not yet in sight; the beetle has not yet been defeated. It is difficult to say how extensive the damage to the Argonne forest will ultimately be. What is certain is that the insect spreads very quickly. The fact that a number of trees had to be felled at the American cemetery in Romagne is a warning sign.
