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The commune of Monaccia has a large stand of juniper trees. This tree is growing slowly and has become quite rare nowadays due to forest fires and overexploitation. In fact, its wood was once sought after. It is a hard, rot-proof wood, its density and smell repel insects and make it resistant to humidity. This is why it was used to make beams, fence posts, frameworks and roof terraces, after being cut during the old moon in January. It was also used to make various everyday utensils, including tool handles. It grows on arid soils and needs little water. There are several species in Corsica, they belong to the Cupressaceae family, which are conifers. On each side of the path, we find the two most frequent species in the south of the island. The juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus) is mostly small (2m) but can reach 14m. It can be found up to 1500m in altitude. It is the most common. It has needle-like leaves with two white stripes. The Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea) is called "aghjacciu" in Corsica. It is particularly abundant in Monaccia. It can grow up to 8 metres high. It has very small, scale-like leaves, and only a few branches have prickly leaves. The juniper was mainly used for its wood, the berries were not exploited in Corsica as in other countries. On the other hand, the shepherds used to distil cade oil. This is obtained by distilling the wood. It is a powerful antiseptic that was used to clean animal wounds, or skin diseases such as scabies and eczema. Shepherds used it in particular to treat foot rot, a disease that affected sheep. The wood was put into an inverted cauldron and placed on a flat stone. Then logs were piled on the cauldron and the fire was lit. The heat caused the resin to ooze out onto the stone and was carefully collected. The flat stone is characteristic. It has a 'phi' sign which helps the cade oil to flow. Several stones or rocks used for this purpose are known from the nearby Urtolu valley.

Monacia-d'Aullène

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