C O V E R
Bremond built his house in what is an
ideal location for mushrooms, for
indulging in his passion for hunting and
above all, nurturing his trees.
Twenty years ago, when they signed
their first simple management plan, the
Bremond family reckoned they could
produce timber at reasonable cost.
On 30 hectares, which they stripped,
bare, they planted forty thousand cedars
close together to avoid early thinning
and foster natural pruning. Pierre
Bremond comments:
"I believe we have the right strategy
for producing good timber, especially
when I see that there is a wood yard near
here with stocks of badly grown cedar
logs full of knots, making them difficult
to saw".
He also claims his is a sensible
approach to the exploitation of young
oak in fine coppices with deep soil.
"Actually, cabinet makers here don't
value this type of wood much because it
tends to twist as it seeks the light.
However, the grain is pleasantly
aesthetic. With proper thinning, you can
create funnels of light for these trees to
grow straight".
S T O R Y
Even so, he acknowledges the need
for the family's descendants to wait 150
years before the finest can be harvested.
The great joy of exploiting
your own wood
Harvesting brings jubilation to Pierre
Bremond. Whilst thinning is carried out
by professionals, he is