In France's south-eastern Ardèche region, as winter ends, the forest slowly wakes up from its long hibernation. Spring is the time when a whole population gets busy studying, preserving and tidying up these natural spaces. Agents of the French National Forests Office replant saplings and choose the trees to be felled, volunteers redo the signage of the hiking paths before the summer and private forest owners take care of grafting. We went to see them.