Des paysages forestiers

Abstract

When there is discussion on the comparative merits of different forest landscapes, when one hears assessments of the way they are handled or the state that the spontaneous development of stands with a high degree of naturality tends towards, it is commonplace to consider these matters solely from the ecological angle. But the protagonists of these potential controversies would be well-advised to go beyond these exclusive scientific arguments. We have attempted to show that it would be useful for them to also examine the philosophical assumptions on which they rely in considering these issues and to accept a comparison of their aesthetic preferences. This article therefore examines forest landscapes both in the ecological sense of the terms as well as their sensory dimension.