The Aigoual, a rich history
Once upon a time there was a mountainous and peaceful massif, complacently occupied by summer flocks of sheep, and a few mining concerns. It was even acceptable for a few bottle manufacturers from the plains to come and get their supplies of wood needed for glass production. That was the Aigoual.
But things started to go awry in the middle of the 19th century, when disease struck the silkworm that had brought such riches to the Valleys...
With the devils of poverty and misery hard on their heels, people tried to make up for the loss, and so began an abusive exploitation of the mountain.
In the lower parts, it was the goats that devoured the vegetation, while the upper slopes were occupied in summer by the flocks of sheep in transhumance.
The deforesting that followed soon brought in its wake disastrous effects. Devastating floods swept over the plains and through the valleys.
Then at last one day, the official reforestation state departments began to take an interest in the Aigoual. This was at a time when, in France and across the world, the upper atmosphere was being more closely examined from high-altitude meteorological stations.
It was Georges Fabre the forester who showed the importance of linking meteorological observation with that of forests and agriculture.