The Hesse site (ICOS code FR-Hes) is located in the North-East of France, 6 km away from the city of Sarrebourg, in the plain at the feet of the Vosges Mountain. The climate is semi-continental temperate. The ecosystem studied is a state beech forest (56 years old) produced by natural regeneration. The soil type is intermediate between a luvisol and a stagnic luvisol.
