Arboretum de Charvols

Malvières, France, France

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The Arboretum de Charvols, also called the Arboretum du Plateau de La Chaise-Dieu, is a 3-hectare experimental arboretum located in Malvières, Haute-Loire, in Auvergne, France, at an altitude of about 900 meters in the middle of coniferous forests near La Chaise-Dieu.

Created in spring 1993 by a group of enterprises and opened to the public that year, the arboretum was established on a former agricultural clearing primarily to test timber species for forest enrichment and study how different trees behave in forest conditions.

It contains 97 species of trees and shrubs—34 conifers, 38 hardwoods (two-thirds of the collection), and 25 shrubs and fruit trees—planted in plots of 25 individuals per species across four different spaces, including common species as well as rare and surprising ones like the Monkey's Despair (Désespoir du singe), giant sequoia, and Japanese cryptomeria.

The site offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Dore valley, the towns of Arlanc, Marsac, and Ambert, and the Livradois and Forez mountains, with small signs along the walking paths providing both fun anecdotes and scientific information about each species. It serves as a unique living laboratory for scientists from UCA and INRAE studying rare species, while also educating the public and schoolchildren about forest environments, and is open daily without charge throughout the year.