The forest of Brou - Beaujolais - Dième

You'll love:
• A forest immersion from the first to the last kilometer.
• Trails suitable for Nordic walking and trail running.
• A setting worthy of the effort, particularly towards Roche Saint-Martin, a dense blend of shade and freshness
intensified by the majestic Douglas firs.
• The panoramas: at Roche Palais, go 200 meters off the course to admire the Tarare mountains. At the Relais, the orientation table faces the Azergues Valley, the Alps, and Mount Pilat. Then, at Roche Saint-Marin, the northeastern Beaujolais region opens up before your eyes.

You'll enjoy it best:
• Without being overwhelmed by the steep gradients from the start to Pierre Blanche.
• After heavy rains, when the waterlogged mountain swells the streams and fills the forest with the sound of torrents. • In summer, in the shade of tall, protective trees.
• In winter, to savor the silence of sleepy nature, wade through the fog, or admire the vegetation silvered by frost.
• By learning to differentiate the branch of the silver fir, studded with needles arranged like a comb, from that of the Douglas fir, whose needles are arranged haphazardly; rubbing them releases a citrus scent.

Culture:
The Douglas fir forests of Beaujolais
Like viticulture, forestry is a component of the rural landscape. The Beaujolais Douglas fir, found across a large portion of the landscape, is the preferred species for forestry operations. It is recognized by the departmental timber industry for its qualities as a construction material. The Lamure-sur-Azergues market hall and the development of the Forêt des Expériences in the Cantinière massif are examples of this. The oldest of these forest giants are in Claveisolles. The first, imported from America, were planted in 1872. In 1935, Laurent Bonnevay, President of the Rhône department, saw this tree as an alternative to revitalizing agriculture in the upper Beaujolais valleys. In Brou, he planted the first tree, symbolizing a new economic direction. As a forest owner, the Department no longer renews the plantings on its plots. The space is now given over to a "native" forest, where vegetation adapted to climate change grows naturally.