Life Elia

A new HT line in Vuillecin

In the Vuillecin site (Doubs Department, Region Franche Comté, France), LIFE ELIA-RTE is currently working on a new high tension line section recently put into service after the clearing of a forest corridor.
This new line connects Pontarlier post to Frasne post.
Land concerned are owned by Vuillecin municipality and by a private forest owners group.

Various stakholders involved

Many stakeholders have contributed to the development of this project : RTE (French TSO), the Vuillecin municipality, the French forest administration (ONF), private owners, the Vuillecin pastoral association, the Natura 2000 coach and the BCD Environment Office.

Meetings with partners turned the spotlight onto :

• managing the forest corridor recently created by cattle grazing (equine grazing at first)
• planting wild apple and pear orchards. The forest officer (ONF) had actually harvested wild apples and pears in autumn 2012. The breaking of dormancy of these seeds was carried out at the seeds counter of Marche-en-Famenne and these were sown in nurseries created by the LIFE ELIA Walloon Region. Plants will be taken back in Vuillecin to be planted in fall 2014.

Installation of fences

The specifications for the power fencing was written by the LIFE ELIA team and validated by both RTE by the ONF.

The fence was placed during the month of October 2013 to cover a perimeter of more than 1.300 meters.

Since the forest corridor creation, some suckers appeared and could justify a horse pasturing for one or two seasons before cattle grazing (as originally planned, the Montbéliard cows from the Vuillecin pastoral association.

Folder and didactic panel describing the project are being finalized and proofread by local partners.