The Bois de la Côte Znieff covers one of the major sites in the central part of the Haute-Marne département. This steep hillside, located on the edge of the Marsois forest, overlooks the Traire valley and the hamlet of Nogent-le-Bas to the south-west of Nogent-en-Bassigny. The edge of the plateau and the slope are covered in montane woodland: maple groves on large boulders (Lunario-Acerion) and dental beech groves. A particular type of fern (scolopendre, polypode vulgaire, doradille) grows on the hard limestone faces. The maple grove is the most typical in the whole department: the trees and shrubs present emphasise the particularly cold microclimate that prevails there (beech, plane maple, sycamore maple, mountain elm, elderberry, bois-jolis).
It is home to perennial lunaria, a rare pre-alpine species with only four localities in Haute-Marne, which is protected at regional level (the Champagne-Ardenne stations, along with those in Bourgone, are the only known lowland localities in France) and is on the red list of endangered plants in Champagne-Ardenne. Other interesting species include the two damselflies (rare on limestone in Haute-Marne) and the impatient cardamine.
This site has been protected by an Arrêté de Protection de Biotope since 1991. Highlighting the edge of the hillside, the Bois de la Côte plays an important role in the landscape. The limestone walls and rocky outcrops also give it a certain geomorphological and geological importance. The site, which is proposed under the Habitats Directive, is in very good condition and is the only remaining intact area of the large Marsois forest, which was completely razed and afforested in the 1980s.
Undeveloped site
Access reserved for an informed and respectful public
Bois de la Côte
