In the latter part of the twentieth century the Ardenne forest came back to life. The local population began to return, taking up their traditional rights as loggers and guardians of the trees. This has been related to the two oil shocks of the 1970s, and the reduction in the local metallurgical industry. Although the conjunction of these two phenomena does point to the economic factors as the primary concern of this activity, in reality, this needs to be put into perspective.
The rejuvenation of logging has enabled the local population to make some savings, but above all it has led to the rehabilitation of certain forms of social behavior. The working of the land combines work with pleasure. The locals work together with friends and family, with picnics around the camp-fire, and meetings in the local departement huts. Young and old are working together in a social model long since gone from contemporary western society. Logging in this way undermines the traditional oppositions between work and leisure, as it also fudges the borderline between market and non-market activities.
In the latter part of the twentieth century the Ardenne forest came back to life. The local population began to return, taking up their traditional rights as loggers and guardians of the trees. This has been related to the two oil shocks of the 1970s, and the reduction in the local metallurgical industry. Although the conjunction of these two phenomena does point to the economic factors as the primary concern of this activity, in reality, this needs to be put into perspective.