Life Elia

The Master's students of the Catholic University of Louvain have had the opportunity for several years to visit the actions of the LIFE Elia-RTE project. The visit includes an indoor presentation, afield trip and practical applications, as part of their course "Ecology of restoration".

Organization

After an indoor presentation at the CRIE in Saint-Hubert, students had the opportunity to visit restored sites on the Nassogne-Tenneville high-voltage line, but also to participate in the restoration of edges by doing cuttings.

Indoor presentation

From 9:30 am to 11 am, the 10 students accompanied by their research assistant were able to appreciate the extent of the project, in Belgium and in France, but also its implications in the different types of environment crossed.

Visit of Tenneville-Nassogne sites

The end of the morning allowed them to visit the sites of the Rouge-Croix and present them the edges located on the Tenneville area. Lunchtime was time for exchanges about digital work interfaces, such as Qfield, Qgis on Android, or the application Meteorology of the IRM.

The afternoon was dedicated by a presentation of the regrowth of plantations, under and off fences, but also by the creation of ponds, the effects of soil-scrapping, or the installation of orchards.

Willow cutting for future edges

Using pruners, students had the opportunity to produce willow cuttings. These 200 cuttings were installed in a future edge, which will ensure the transition between a spruce stand and the high-voltage line corridor.

This day enabled these future managers of natural environments to evaluate the techniques put in place within the framework of the LIFE project. They were also able to understand its ecological but also societal implications. Let us bet they will be happy in a few years to go and see again the results of their plantations.