Sentier nature - Saint-Benoit la Forêt, au cœur de la forêt de Chinon

The Chinon state forest is part of a vast forest complex managed by the Office National des Forêts. In the Middle Ages, it stretched from Sainte-Maure de Touraine to Chinon. At the end of the 13th century, a forestry administration was created to oversee and exploit the royal forest. Over the following centuries, timber and marine products were produced on a large scale. Charles VII and Louis XI both enjoyed hunting here, first as seigneurial then as royal estates. The forest became state-owned during the French Revolution