In the Chartreuse massif, the “Forêt chaudée” association harvests and distributes wood to vulnerable households

“We’ll drop him off here. Does this suit you, Jeannine? » On this cold October morning, Luc, 69, and Alain, 64, stack ash and acacia logs in front of the 82-year-old retiree’s house, nestled on the heights of Quaix-en-Chartreuse ( Isère), at an altitude of 650 m. Inside, the fire is already burning in the fireplace. “We have rarely had such a cold start to autumn! » she slips, bringing her hands closer to warm them. In order to reduce her bill, this former hairdresser stopped heating with oil and chose to turn again to wood, which she sometimes supplements with her heat pump.

But for his modest retirement, a little more than 1,000 euros per month, the purchase of a stere – 70 to 130 euros on average – becomes a luxury. Jeannine therefore called on Forêt chaudée: this association collects and prepares unused wood to donate it to residents in need. “It warms my heart, especially as winter approaches! » she confides.

The idea came to Luc Seegner during a walk in the forest, at the end of summer 2023. Bursar in a hotel establishment near Grenoble, he spends his free time in nature, where he likes to photograph animals and chop wood. “It was a lumberjack friend who taught me to love it, to know it and to work with it! » he says. That afternoon, he came across a large volume of scraps, abandoned after logging, and wondered if he could recover them. The owners – the monks of the Grande Chartreuse – then made him a suggestion: “It’s okay, as long as you share it. »

The art of cutting

While a quarter of the population still heats with wood, the price of which has increased by more than 20% between 2022 and 2023, Luc quickly thinks of the most precarious homes. “Having built my life thanks to meetings with people who extended their hand to me, I decided to extend it in turn! »

Since then, his association has been monitoring available wood: “Trees fallen due to a storm, trunks abandoned after a felling, a forest to maintain,” he lists, “as long as the owner gives his consent. » Often, his initiative is transformed into an exchange of good practices. “On the one hand, I lend my little forest, on the other, they do me a service,” says Alexis, 59, owner of a plot of land that he could not maintain himself. Result: a large donation of wood to the association, and a few logs recovered along the way for its own consumption.

The work, very physical and technical, sometimes even a little dangerous, explains the difficulty in mobilizing volunteers beyond the dozen who form the hard core of the association. This Monday afternoon, after the delivery to Jeannine, it was Alain who came to help Luc extract wood near La-Sure-en-Charteuse. On the program: three trunks to be pulled up on sloping ground, in windy and rainy weather. “I’m used to doing it at home,” explains the retiree, “so I told myself that I could use my skills and my time to help beyond my neighborhood! »

The link that warms

Once cut into logs, the wood is delivered to the beneficiaries, mainly households in difficulty living in nearby communities and identified through word of mouth. “Among them, we favor elderly people, who are often isolated! » specifies Luc. For some of them, delivery also represents a precious moment of socialization. For the journey, which is sometimes laborious on the roads of Chartreuse, Luc only asks for a symbolic contribution, 10 euros on average.

In order to achieve balance, Forêt chaudée has however opted for a precise economic model: 70% of the wood harvested is donated, 30% sold “at a reasonable price” to individuals and professionals. The association also solicits businesses: certain specialized stores provide it with cutting and skidding equipment free of charge or at a reduced price, and assistance from the Caisse d’Épargne recently enabled the purchase of a new winch, in order to be able to tow heavy loads.

In one year, around ten residents were helped. The association is now seeking to get closer to municipalities to encourage the harvesting of available wood and better identify households in need. Without wanting to expand too much: “Proximity is at the heart of the initiative,” recalls Luc, who hopes to inspire other enthusiasts to launch this type of action in their own territory.