Page 42 - Biorefinery 2030 Future Prospects for the Bioeconomy (2015)

2 History 9

as Jules Michelet, who did not hesitate to speak of the “flea-ridden desert of
Champagne” in his “History of France” published in 1879.
As a reaction to this, the people of Champagne launched initiatives to improve
the poor reputation of their region by trying to improve their traditional agriculture
that was considered second-rate. In the first of these initiatives, at the end of the
eighteenth century, they attempted to develop the chalk land spectacularly by
planting 130,000 ha of conifers, mostly Scots Pine. Forest grew to cover the vast,
traditionally open plains, but the project did not last. The Scots Pine quickly showed
itself to be ill adapted to the Champagne region and vulnerable to silk moth, and the
resulting poor productivity led to the collapse of this forestry activity at the end of
the nineteenth century.
Starting in 1950 and over the next 20 years, the deforestation of nearly
115,000 ha took place. However, what had been considered an economic failure
enabled the agriculture of Champagne to make a dramatic recovery by producing
large additional areas of arable land. The deforested areas were quickly
concentrated in large farms of 100 ha and more, whose development was facilitated
by the region’s low population density and by land prices that were well below their
capitalised income value. In 1950, Champagne Ardenne was the cheapest region in
France, with arable land prices half those of France in general or of the
neighbouring Aisne de ´partement.
The 1950s was also the end of a period in which the region’s agriculture was
principally limited to its best land, which significantly restricted its development.
The increased numbers of more modern tractors (c.f. Fig. 1.6) and in general the
development of all forms of motorised equipment, made it possible to cultivate

Fig. 1.6 Steam tractor