The Forêt de Chambiers is the largest forest-based Espace Naturel Sensible in Maine-et-Loire. Largely privately owned, it stretches from Durtal in the north to Jarzé Villages in the south.
Located 3 km from the town centre and accessible via the D18 (towards Les Rairies) and the D59 (towards Beauvau), the Forêt de Chambiers has been listed as a Sensitive Natural Area (ENS) since the Maine-et-Loire Departmental Council introduced this policy in 1985.
An ENS allows departments or municipalities to implement a policy of protecting, managing and opening up these natural areas to the public. These actions aim to preserve the quality of the sites, landscapes, natural environments and habitats.
The surface area of the Forêt de Chambiers ENS, the largest sensitive natural area of forest type in Maine-et-Loire, is close to 2,000 hectares and covers 7 communes. Durtal accounts for more than half of its surface area (≈ 1,000 ha).
The Durtal Forest includes type I and II Natural Areas of Ecological, Faunistic and Floristic Interest (ZNIEFF), which correspond to areas of great ecological interest that are home to heritage biodiversity.
This is due in particular to the ecological wealth of the site, which makes this ENS a major biodiversity reservoir on the scale of the département, linked above all to the presence of remarkable wetlands.
The site therefore brings together issues of knowledge and conservation of the natural heritage, as well as socio-economic, educational and cultural issues.
To meet these challenges, in 2021 the municipality of Durtal expressed its political will to draw up a management plan for the Durtal area. The aim of this document is to initiate actions on the ENS in order to preserve biodiversity on a long-term basis and to reconcile the various activities in this perspective, while enabling the inhabitants to reappropriate this forest and integrate the project into a more global territorial project.
As a result, 27 actions have been defined in the ENS de la Forêt de Chambiers management plan, financed by the municipality of Durtal and the Maine-et-Loire département, covering the period 2023-2027.
Some of these actions have already been implemented, and are described below.
You will also find a set of rules governing use of the communal part of the Durtal forest.
With its many footpaths, the Chambiers forest is an ideal place for long walks. In particular, a biodiversity trail and a community trail have been set up. But you can also simply stroll along the edge of the large pond at the northern tip of the massif.
The maritime pine forests, carpeted with ferns, dominate the area. They take walkers on an exotic journey reminiscent of the Landes forest. In places, the conifers give way to deciduous woodland dotted with heather.
But the site's charm and ecological interest lie above all in its precious wetlands. Former clay quarries have given rise to a network of ponds. This collection of ponds is home to a rich and often unsuspected biodiversity.
860 animal species, 666 plant species and 116 species of fungi have been recorded in the Forêt de Chambiers, making it a real reservoir of biodiversity!
A wealth of woodland and aquatic birds, amphibians and small creatures have made their home in the Forêt de Chambiers.
What's more, the wetlands in this natural area are rich in peat, a rare resource that supports the growth of uncommon and threatened plants.
In the Middle Ages, the Forêt de Chambiers was a popular hunting ground. The lords of Durtal and their guests conducted numerous hunts here. The kings of France also took part, as evidenced by the crossroads known as "la Table au Roy".
The quarry in the heart of the forest is also a living testimony to a traditional activity. The village of Les Rairies was once a major centre for the manufacture of bricks, tiles and even pottery, with as many as 60 brickworks in the 19th century! Only one of these remains in operation today: Rairies Montrieux.
Of course, to make these terracotta objects, you need raw materials. The clay came, and still comes, from open-cast quarries. The quarry in the forest still provides potters in the region with a local supply.
A sensitive natural area in action on the part of the forest belonging to the municipality of Durtal. It is managed by the Office National des Forêts. One of the objectives is to seek a greater diversity of tree species. The aim is to make the forest more resilient to climate change.
Quarries also represent a major management challenge. At first glance, they appear to be highly anthropised environments. Humans have profoundly transformed the landscape. But once quarrying is finished, these areas can be very interesting from an ecological point of view. Many of the ponds at Chambiers, for example, are former clay pits and are now home to a significant proportion of the massif's biodiversity.
Lastly, a programme of activities designed to help local residents discover the biodiversity of the Forêt de Chambiers, with a view to preserving it more effectively, is put in place every year through free events organised as part of the RDV Nature en Anjou programme.
