Nature is making a comeback in the areas of the Jura massif ravaged by the forest fires of summer 2022. The phenomenon is impressive around Lake Vouglans, where flower beds abound, less than two years after the disaster. Photographer Julien Arbez immortalized the return of vegetation.
On the banks of Lake Vouglans, in the Jura department, vegetation abounds. Shrubs, clumps of soapworms – pink, fragrant flowers – and orchids grow in every corner. “The ground bursts with color. Bees and bumblebees no longer know where to turn their trunks“, describes Julien Arbez, professional photographer, who came to immortalize the place at the end of May on a site in the municipality of Cernon.
However, less than two years ago, the nature around the lake was devastated. In August 2022, a major forest fire ravaged the entire area, leaving only rock and charred tree trunks. “There was no more land and vegetation, it was a lunar landscape“, remembers Julien Arbez, who visited the place after the fire. “I had taken photos. They looked like they were black and white.“. As a result, all the wildlife had disappeared too.
Also read. Fires in the Jura: nearly 500 hectares destroyed, the population evacuated
Flower beds near Lake Vouglans in Cernon (Jura), in May 2024.
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© Julien Arbez
Soapworts, pink and fragrant flowers, are present in large numbers near Lake Vouglans, in an area affected in 2022 by a major forest fire in Cernon (Jura).
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© Julien Arbez
But since the beginning of spring, the plants have made a comeback on the former disaster site. “It’s impressive. We were pleasantly surprised by the resilience of this ecosystem and its speed in reconstituting itself.“, recalls Florent Dubosclard, director of the National Forestry Office (ONF) in Jura. “When organic matter burns, it mineralizes and the minerals become immediately accessible to remaining vegetation“, who feeds on it, he explains. “It’s like a shot of fertilizer“.
Of the 1,000 hectares burned in 2022 in the Jura,This phenomenon is particularly visible on the few surrounding Lake Vouglans. “What particularly surprised me were the smells. You’d think you had your nose in a bouquet!“, testifies Julien Arbez, who lives 40 kilometers from the lake and went there at the end of May.
“It’s a place I’ve been since it burned down. I went there in the fall after the fire. The ground was stripped, there were only a few spots of greenery and barely a few deer tracks.“, says the photographer. “The other day a friend rode his bike through the area and told me it had all grown back. I said to myself: I’m going there tomorrow, it looks so beautiful !“
The result, a series of photographs displaying the return of rich vegetation to the site, was published on social media by the photographer. The reactions, numerous, are very positive. “It’s nice to see this rebirth of life“, comments a user. “It’s a splendor!“, writes another. “It rarely happens to me that I get so many comments on a post. It’s because I bring a super positive message: life is starting again, it brings balm to the heart“, says Julien Arbez.
Anticipating this rebirth, the ONF launched a study after the fire on the resilience of vegetation in the Jura massif. “There was a lack of local knowledge about forest fires. We set up this observatory to acquire knowledge“, explains Florent Dubosclard. 300 witness trees, calcined in 2022, were selected by the office, which observes their evolution.
If this study has not yet provided its conclusions, it has already provided its share of knowledge. “What emerges is that there is little variability between speciess”, announces the director of the ONF. “It was thought that species with thick bark, such as oak, would be better protected from flames than those with thick bark, but this is not really the case.“, he informs.
Julien Arbez, for his part, keeps his photos carefully. “Maybe I’ll put one or two in a book on vegetation“, he says.
