The forest feeds children's imaginations from an early age. Adorable tales featuring mischievous foxes, half-scary, half-enchanting cartoons in which trees talk and flowers sing, heady rhymes in which the cuckoo answers the owl from the top of its great oak... It's a whole universe that is built up in their little heads, and one that they'll want to take care of when they go for walks in real life!
Guide them along the path to preserving the flora and fauna that fascinate them so much by teaching them a few simple gestures to put into practice on their next vacation at La Plagne.
Do the right thing... with dead wood
🤤 It's tempting... Picking up the pretty bits of wood that have fallen to the ground to build a hut where cousins can tell each other secrets, and giggle as they list their favorite swear words (since they're forbidden).
❌ Why it's a bad idea: dead wood provides a habitat for a whole host of small animals (insects, birds) and plants (fungi, lichens...). What's more, as it decomposes, it enriches the soil with minerals essential to the good health of the trees growing around it.
💡 What to do instead? A daytimetree-climbing session (for the excitement of climbing trees and exploring the forest in the heights), and a tree house in the living room, with plenty of cushions, plaids and gourmet provisions (to retain the thrill of the forbidden).
Do the right thing... with blueberries
🤤 It's tempting... Use a comb to speed up blueberry picking a little (it's true that you can lose patience when you see the quantity of berries you have to pick to cover even the bottom of your bucket...)
❌ Why it's a bad idea: using a comb damages young blueberry shoots and plants (you may end up with more leaves than blueberries in your bucket...). That's why comb-harvesting is prohibited in Savoie until August 15 (and discouraged by the ONF even after that date).
💡 What to do instead? Pick blueberries by hand in a small bucket (less discouraging)... and stop off at the bakery for a slice of blueberry tart when frustration hits. Blue teeth and purple tongue guaranteed, and that's the fun part!
Do the right thing... with mushrooms
🤤 It's tempting... Stomp with all your might on mushrooms encountered along the way to see if they give off smoke (in other words: spores).
❌ Why it's a bad idea: trampling on a mushroom disrupts a fragile ecosystem. It's important to preserve all species, even those that aren't edible.
💡 What to do instead? A virtual themed mushroom hunt! The biggest, the prettiest, the weirdest... Without touching the delicate boletes, ceps and morels; but with a camera to remember the specimens encountered.
Good to know: in Savoie, mushroom picking is limited to 5L per day and per species. Find out more about mushroom picking in Savoie.
Do the right thing... with flowers
🤤 It's tempting... Picking a gigantic armful of flowers to give to grandma ("I love you graaand like this!").
❌ Why it's a bad idea: if everyone decided to give a gigantic bouquet to their grandpa or grandma (or any other great person), there would be fewer and fewer flowers in the forest. And that means fewer and fewer pollinating insects (among others). A huge blow to the fragile ecosystem of the undergrowth...
💡 What to do instead? A small bouquet, quite simply! Pick less, but better: select a few pretty flowers, and stop when the composition fills the little mimine.
Good to know: in Savoie, certain flower species are protected, and picking them is either forbidden (martagon lilies, edelweiss...) or strictly regulated (daffodils, holly, gentians...). Find out more about picking in Savoie.
Do the right thing... on forest trails
🤤 It's tempting... straying off the trail to play hide-and-seek among the trees (and shouting "boo!!!" to scare off the approaching little brother or sister)
❌ Why it's a bad idea: stepping off the trail means taking the risk of trampling the young shoots that will make tomorrow's trees, damaging the habitats of industrious little beasts, scaring off forest dwellers, or accelerating soil erosion.
💡 What to do instead? Play hide-and-seek... with the animals! For example, taking a walk in the forest after a good downpour to increase the chances of distinguishing animal paw prints in the damp earth. Or take a pair of binoculars with you on a high-altitude hike to try and spot marmots (easy!) or chamois and ibex (more difficult...). A good idea? Take part in a guided hike on the theme of flora and fauna. Perfect for discreetly observing all the wonders of nature that are invisible to the untrained eye...
Useful ONF (Office National des Forêts) resources:
🌲 All the ONF's advice on protecting the forest and yourself (walking your dog, picking mushrooms and berries, protecting yourself against ticks...)
