In Savoy, a village plants 1500 trees to preserve vines in the face of climate change

I hope you can live for a long time, “we will help you grow well”, “good luck, little tree! Despite the cold of this afternoon in February, the students of the Chignin municipal school (Savoie) took off their gloves to write small words of encouragement which they fix with freshly planted trees.

How many are there? “168! “Credit two little girls of CE2, all out of breath to have surveyed the young hedge to count them. This year, it was the Guillaume Quenard winemaker that children came to help. In exchange, he explained his job to them and visited his cellar. It must be said that viticulture is the big affair of this town of 900 inhabitants, which gives its name to two AOCs of Savoy: Chignin and Chignin-Bergeron.

But the 15 local viticulturalists note the impact of climatic disruption on a daily basis: violent rains declining the soils, drying valley winds, declining biodiversity … This well -exposed side of the Bauges, Arid and Mineral Massif, now takes on the tunes of garrigue. In the past, fruit trees and shrubs spontaneously pushed in plots.

André, the father of Guillaume Quenard, remembers the almond trees, whose harvest was sold to the pastry chefs of Chambéry. But they were too often sacrificed: it was necessary to plant the maximum of vines and reshape the hillsides so that nothing obstructs the span, this tractor whose wheels pass between the rows.

Restore a landscape heritage

To find shadow, retain the floors, create windbreaks and offer the fauna gîte, the Chignerains winegrowers decided in 2022 to replant trees. Whether in conventional or organic, whether they have few hectares or many, they will do it together: “There is a good atmosphere,” explains the youngest of them. We are known for that. It is rare enough to be underlined. When they request the technical aid of the Association Mission Haies Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, its director, Sylvie Monier, does not hide her surprise: “Such a collective approach carried by farmers, on the scale of a commune, it is unique! »»

They first define the areas where planting, following a specific route. The objective? Connect the groves, restore plant continuity between the summits and the bottom of the valley, restore a landscaped heritage. They determine with Sylvie Monier the most adequate planting places: fruit trees where it is wet, almond trees in the scree of glacial moraines (heaps of rocks moved by a glacier, editor’s note) … With a few exceptions (olive trees, pistachiers, etc.), all species are already present. Local nurserymen take seeds to multiply them: a technique that “increases the resistance and genetic diversity of plants”, explains Bénédicte Freschi. With two other viticultural companions, she oversees the operation.

1500 trees planted in three winters in this village

A year later, the plants are ready to find the ground. On each layout, even if the perimeter is limited, there can be up to 20 owners. It is therefore imperative to coordinate while leaving the frank cubits: “Everyone plants as they want, at their own pace”, comments Didier Berthollier, one of the winegrowers at the origin of the project. This autonomy is one of the keys to success: “We have no account to be given to anyone. Besides, we did not ask for subsidies. We make a group order, but each farmer finances his plants. »»

In the process, they decide to associate with their approach the inhabitants of the village. One way for them to explain their profession, to rehabilitate it: “We want to show that we do not do anything, insists Guillaume Quenard. Above all, it is a unifying, it is used for the cohesion of the town! To see the forty children who are activated, under the leadership of their two teachers and twenty volunteers – parents and grandparents of students, other winegrowers, associative activists, refugees hosted in the village – The bet is successful. In an hour and quarter, shows in hand, a long hedge has come out of the ground, bringing to 1500 the number of trees planted in three winters in this village.