New life springs in Aude among 2025 wildfire carnage

On August 5, 2025, a wildfire broke out in the heart of the Corbières region of the Aude department. Fuelled by three years of drought, fierce winds and very high temperatures, this fire, known as the ‘Incendie de Ribaute’, became one of the most destructive in living memory. 

Initial estimates of the area affected were put at 17,000 hectares, but this figure has since been somewhat reduced as more accurate surveys of the ravaged land have been carried out. It was not until August 28 that the fire was finally declared terminated. The association Federation Aude Claire has been surveying the land from the beginning of 2026 in order to judge the ecology of a domaine in the region. This survey covers the botanical, entomological and ornithological sectors. Fortunately, there are records from previous studies of the area.

Travelling through the area in April, I had been shocked to see the extent and appearance of the land. Dead, blackened stone pine (pin parasol) trees, Aleppo pine (pin d’Alep), bare brown earth where all the understory of juniper (genévrier) and holly oak (chêne kermès) had been burnt off, and occasional blackened stone farm buildings. When the botanist from the Federation, Benjamin Gilbert, proposed a field trip into the area, I was keen to go.

Benjamin was careful to emphasise that he, as a qualified scientist, was there as a botanist and had not been charged with drawing general conclusions, sociological or otherwise, but remained within his speciality. The authorities wish to study how the land recovers and to draw conclusions about how to treat these events, which are periodic and predicted to recur more often in the future as climate change bites.

A group of us met up with Benjamin on the domaine on a cool and windy day in early May and walked up to a fire-affected moorland. In the valley the vines were well leafed; they had not been burnt and had indeed acted as a firebreak, although it was not possible to gather a harvest of grapes in 2025 because the fire-retardant chemicals used to extinguish the flames are somewhat toxic, as is the soot that polluted the vineyards.

Almost immediately, a large raptor flew over us. It was a short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus), and it proceeded to hunt. This confirmed that the snakes and other reptiles that are its main prey had managed to survive the fire underground, and that a food chain for the snakes themselves, mainly rodents, had also survived. We also saw a kestrel (faucon crécerelle) hunting its prey, which would be small rodents and insects. Other birds heard in the area were singing nightingales, western subalpine warblers and western orphean warblers, indicating that they were holding breeding territories. There were also swifts, swallows and bee-eaters flying overhead, but these were probably on migration.

There was a participant on the field trip who lived in one of the affected villages and had been forced to evacuate until the danger had passed. He has been studying the local habitats for about 50 years and is working on a PhD analysing the effects of both human and animal influence in the Corbières region. In his village garden he has trail cameras placed to record the wild animals that come to feed, often at night. 

Remarkably quickly, even as soon as September, species such as rodents (rongeurs), badgers (blaireaux), pine martens (martres) and wild boar (sangliers) were seen again, having survived, perhaps by taking shelter in the vineyards, and being drawn to the oases around the villages that had been protected by the firefighters. 

We also saw rabbit (lapin) droppings, and a roe deer (chevreuil) trotted down a hillside at midday, no doubt to drink in the stream. There had been no hunting in this area over the winter season, and perhaps this has led to an increase in confidence among the local fauna.

Re-greening

This springtime has been wet and cool, and already in a few short weeks many plants are greening the land. Clearly the roots of the holly oak, which is widespread on the moors of the Aude, were sprouting from the base and creating a skirt around the bare stems of the old plant. This shrub is very dense and prickly, grows to a maximum of one and a half metres high, and can easily close in a habitat to the point that many other plants find it difficult to germinate and prosper. From a botanical point of view, this is detrimental to the variety of plant species that might be found in a particular location.

Benjamin then proceeded to show the group a selection of plants and flowers that had already started to grow, and also some replanting strategies that the department is trying in order to determine which are the most beneficial for re-establishing a balanced landscape. This includes areas that have been completely sown with lucerne seed, with the intention that this will provide grazing for a flock of sheep that had already been established there before the fire and which would return before the end of May. 

The aim of this grazing is to attempt to keep some of the land more open. Another strategy is to chip the burnt vegetation into a thick mulch in order to see what vegetation benefits from this approach. There is also the idea that burnt tree trunks will be felled to create dams on the streams to hold back run-off.

Benjamin was impressed with the diversity of the flora that was already present. The change to an open habitat may lead to an increase in annual species while it remains open.

So the visit was reassuring insofar as the ecosystem is concerned. Further reading, for instance about fire ecology, throws light on the benefits of wildfires.

Benjamin’s study does not, of course, take into consideration the damage to agriculture, the homes and livelihoods of the human inhabitants, and the trauma they suffered. It is a long way off before decisions can be made about how to manage events such as these in the future, however some of the basic data is now being gathered.