On 3 June, SPIE Operations, SPIE France and SPIE Global Services Energy signed a sponsorship agreement to support an outstanding tree planting project to create the new Forêt de Maubuisson.
The Maubuisson Forest: the green lung of Greater Paris
This immense wooded area will capture and store a large quantity of carbon thanks to the planting of over a million trees of different species, selected for their hardiness, their compatibility with current climate conditions and their phytoremediation*capacities.
Located in the heart of the Val-d’Oise, just a few kilometres from SPIE’s head office, this new forest development will transform a peri-urban area polluted by the drainage of wastewater from the greater Paris area for nearly a century into a first-rate natural environment for the benefit of the region’s some 12 million inhabitants.
“With its threefold objective of preserving biodiversity, combating climate change and providing a public leisure area where people can learn about environmental conservation, the creation of the Forêt de Maubuisson is perfectly in line with our sustainable development policy”, explains Isabelle Lambert, SPIE’s Sustainability Director.
The project: key figures
- A total of 1 million trees to be planted to create 1,340 hectares of forest
- 30 tree species selected by the Office National des Forêts (French national forestry office)
- Over 500,000 trees planted over 314 hectares as of 2023
- A natural environment and new carbon sink larger than the Bois de Vincennes in eastern Paris, which covers ‘only’ 1,000 hectares
- 90 km of paths planned
An obvious choice for SPIE
By signing this sponsorship agreement with SMAPP (the Plaine de Pierrelaye-Bessancourt joint planning association), SPIE has undertaken to plant five hectares of forest to help restore the degraded ecosystem.
“The five hectares we are planting represent another contribution to decarbonisation and to our local roots”, emphasises Isabelle Lambert.
SPIE: a local and regional partner
SPIE, which has been located in Cergy for 35 years, is committed to local employment and, together with its employees, participates in community initiatives. The partnership between SPIE and SMAPP addresses both social and environmental issues.
This initiative is one of several taken by the company to encourage tree planting and offset emissions linked to business travel, for example.
*Phytoremediation: the ability to prevent soil pollution from migrating into the environment and into groundwater in particular.