International audience ; Changes in the demand for goods and services have significantly altered European forests over time. In Wallonia, perpetuation of hardwood forests through recent centuries has allowed the preservation of a rich biological heritage, made up in particular of long-living organisms and ones with little dispersal capacity. Many geophytes are now found to be indicators for woodland continuity on the land they inhabit. The plentiful legacy of map resources was used to precisely establish the location of sub-natural ancient forests in Wallonia, defined as ones that have been continuously wooded by deciduous species since the 18th century. The ancient forests have now been earmarked for producing high quality timber and for hunting, tourism and the conservation of biodiversity. These forests’ conservation vocation has been legally recognized as a priority since the Forest Code was revised in 2008. Any plan to convert them into softwood plantations is only permitted when all other forest planning solutions fail. Furthermore, their heritage value is not sufficiently leveraged. Guidelines for heritage-based management of these forests are offered with a view to handing down intact these assets inherited from generations of foresters to future generations. ; L’évolution de la demande en biens et services a fortement modifié les forêts européennes au fil du temps. En Wallonie, la persistance des forêts feuillues au cours des derniers siècles a permis la préservation d’un riche patrimoine biologique, composé notamment d’organismes vivants longévifs ou dotés d’une faible capacité de dispersion. De nombreuses plantes géophytes se révèlent actuellement indicatrices de l’ancienneté de l’état boisé des parcelles qu’elles occupent. Grâce à un riche patrimoine cartographique, la localisation des forêts anciennes subnaturelles, définies comme des forêts feuillues continuellement boisées depuis le XVIIIe siècle, a pu être établie précisément en Wallonie. Les forêts anciennes sont actuellement vouées à la ...