La sylviculture favorable au chêne, facteur majeur de la progression du Pic mar Dendrocopos medius en Suisse: Exemple du Bois du Devens (canton de Neuchâtel) | Silviculture that favours oak as a major factor in the expansion of the middle-spotted-woodpecker in Switzerland. Example of Bois du Devens (Canton Neuchâtel)

The middle-spotted-woodpecker Dendrocopos medius, which was deemed to have disappeared from the littoral of Neuchâtel,is a species in full expansion today, particularly in the Bois du Devens (MULHAUSER & BLANT en prép.). Without differentiated silvicultural interventions-i.e. differentiated according to area-today this region would be dominated largely by the beech. The article presents the evolution of the forest Bois du Devens, the development of silvicultural practice during the 20th century and its effect on the expansion of the middlespotted-woodpecker. The analysis of the silviculture practised in this forest since 1920, fleshed out with the numerical basis of the silvicultural inventories, provides confirmation of the dependence of the middle-spotted-woodpecker on oaks of major dimensions, with a preference for highly fertile habitats and underlines the importance of mature forest stands. Such heterogeneous stands are rich in microstructures, cavity trees,big trees, trees that accomplish their full life cycle, as well as entire crowns that are left on the ground after trees have been cut.