Arboretum de Puéchagut

Bréau-Mars, France, France

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The Arboretum de Puéchagut is a historic tree collection located near Bréau-et-Salagosse (often called Bréau-Mars) in the Gard department of southern France, situated in the Massif de l'Aigoual within the Cévennes National Park at about 1,000 meters altitude.

Created in 1890 by forest engineer Georges Fabre and botanist Charles Flahault, it was established as one of 10 experimental forest sites designed to test which tree species would work best for reforesting the Aigoual mountain area after extensive deforestation. The arboretum features mature exotic trees including giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and araucaria, along with hiking paths that wind through the forest.

Today it offers an easy 450-meter interpretation trail called "Puechagut ou la forêt des sens" (Puechagut or the Forest of the Senses) with five educational stations where visitors can identify different tree bark, cones, leaves, and bird silhouettes through sensory activities. The site is open year-round without any admission fee, making it accessible to all visitors, and includes parking with facilities for people with mobility challenges.

The arboretum stands as a testament to the late 19th-century reforestation efforts that transformed this mountain landscape, with an old forest house still visible as historical evidence of that period.