The thick fog and the low temperatures did not dampen their motivation.
It is equipped with hat or hood on the head, big winter coat and rain boots that a hundred volunteers accepted to take up the challenge Ma Terre, launched by the Parisian-Today in France, the Foundation for la nature et l'homme (FNH) and the Boomforest association: create a mini-forest on a former wasteland of 1000 square meters, according to the Miyawaki method, named after Akira Miyawaki, the Japanese botanist who invented it, in Villiers-sur-Orge (Essonne).
The date was not chosen at random.
Catherine's Day, which falls on November 25, is the perfect time to plant.
But before putting your hands in the ground, Damien Saraceni, co-founder of Boomforest, gives some instructions.
“You are going to plant trees that are 2 to 3 years old and that measure between 30 cm and 50 cm.
The roots must always be in the ground.
Ultraviolet light, even in weather like today, can burn them, he explains.
On the other hand, the collar, that is to say the point of junction between the roots and the trunk, must be above ground level.
This is what allows the tree to know where it must make its roots and where its trunk begins.
If it's covered with earth, it's a bit like cutting off a cat's whiskers: it totally unbalances it.
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A space that requires no maintenance
In a few weeks, 3,600 young trees will be planted in the ground, separated by only a few centimeters from each other and covered with a thick layer of straw.
“She is there to feed the soil.
It is very clayey, with lots of stones.
It will also prevent the growth of weeds”, specifies Jean-Charles.
This resident of Villiers-sur-Orge is at the origin of this project, born a year and a half ago.
“This green corridor needed to be developed.
I launched this idea of an urban forest with elected officials and they immediately adhered, he recalls.
The advantage with this method is that there is certainly an investment at the start, but no maintenance thereafter.
We'll let her do as she wants.
There were already naturally trees growing here.
Here, we're just going to mimic the normal development of a forest, giving it a boost.
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Read also50 million trees planted, a good idea, really?
Christian traveled with his grandchildren from Créteil (Val-de-Marne).
This is the first time he has planted a tree.
“I know that's not going to save the planet, but it's a symbolic act, he concedes.
And it's important to raise awareness from an early age.
Anne also wanted to revive biodiversity in the city.
“To put nature back where it once was,” she insists.
When I see the world there is, I realize that I am not the only one to be sensitive to this cause.
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"It's a simple, multi-generational activity"
This is also the whole objective of the Foundation for Nature and Man, created by Nicolas Hulot: to make people want to get involved in such a project.
“It does not require any experience or commitment and we quickly see the result, recalls Stéphanie Clément-Grandcourt, the general manager of FNH.
Thanks to our online platform #JagisJePlante, residents can benefit from practical advice for planting at home, but not only.
The idea is to make them want to reforest around car parks, on the edge of sports fields, wherever there is still space.
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“We have 17 million gardeners in France, she continues. It's a simple, multigenerational activity.
And above all, it is done with joy.
This planting is only a first step.
A second session is scheduled for February, with 3,000 additional trees.
And will certainly be renewed next year.
