Chaux

Chaux is the name attached to a vast forest stretching over the plains west of the Jura mountains, close to the small commune of Plumont in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. It ranks among the country's largest woodland complexes and draws visitors looking for quiet walking and cycling routes away from crowded destinations.

How large is the Forest of Chaux?

The forest covers roughly 20,493 hectares, making it the fifth-largest forest in France. In terms of deciduous tree cover, it comes second nationally, surpassed only by the Forest of Orléans. Its territory spreads across the lowlands lying to the west of the Jura range, touching the surroundings of several communes, Plumont among them.

How old is this woodland?

Evidence of continuous tree cover in this location stretches back between 6,000 and 8,000 years, pointing to an exceptionally long-lived forest ecosystem. Organised human exploitation, however, began much later, in the thirteenth century. Even earlier, from around the year 1000, charcoal burners settled in the area, gradually forming a distinct forest-based community shaped by the rhythms of woodland work.

What was the forest used for historically?

For centuries, timber from Chaux served as fuel and industrial raw material. It was precisely the proximity of such abundant firewood reserves that determined the location of the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, built on the edge of the forest. Economic exploitation peaked in the nineteenth century, when numerous forest hamlets sprang up around glassworks, brick factories, forges and furnaces. This activity shaped the landscape and settlement pattern of the region for decades.

What role did river transport play?

The region also carries a long tradition of timber rafting: logs harvested from the forest were floated down local waterways to reach processing sites or markets further afield. Together with charcoal burning, this practice forms one of the pillars of the area's historic forest-work culture.

Who manages the forest today?

Today the woodland complex remains under the stewardship of the national forestry administration, which grants it protected forest status. This oversight has allowed it to retain its character despite centuries of commercial exploitation.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Chaux located? The forested area known as Chaux lies on the plains west of the Jura mountains, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, near the commune of Plumont.

What makes this forest stand out among others in France? Its distinction lies in combining an enormous surface area (fifth-largest in the country) with a dominance of deciduous trees (second-largest nationally), backed by a documented, thousands-of-years-long continuity on the same site.

What traces of past activity can still be found here? Remnants of former glassworks, brick factories, forges and furnaces from the nineteenth century testify to a period of intensive industrial exploitation, while the charcoal-burning and rafting traditions reach even further back, into the medieval period.

Is the Forest of Chaux open to visitors today? Yes, as a large forest complex it is a popular destination for walking and cycling trips, though its underlying purpose remains forest management carried out under the relevant administrative authority.