Montanoël – Firs and transition in Morvan

Every December, many French households install a young coniferous tree in their home. These fir and spruce trees, 80% of which come from France, and more specifically from mid-mountain regions, are cultivated – far from the epinal image of trees simply harvested from the forest. In fact, an entire production chain is now legally organized and economically structured. However, recurrent summer droughts have highlighted the vulnerability of plantations. This is particularly true in the Morvan region, France’s leading production area.

The Montanoël project examines how the Morvan Christmas tree industry is adapting to climate change and its institutional recognition (IGP – Indication géographique protégée – Protected Geographical Indication), the resulting transitions in practices and the socio-spatial implications of these transformations. It was produced in collaboration with the Association française du sapin de Noël naturel and the Morvan Regional Nature Park.

Its objectives are: to map Christmas tree cultivation plots in the Morvan region; to provide information on the spatial and social anchoring of the industry in the region; to analyze changes in resource use by the industry (greening of practices) and the resulting reconfiguration of power relations. To do so, it draws on the theoretical framework of the coexistence/competition of agricultural models.