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In the summer of 2022, the forest of La Teste-de-Buche, at the foot of the Dune du Pilat, was ravaged by a devastating fire. This was followed by a spate of controversies over who should be held responsible for the devastation. The actors involved in the management of this user forest came under fire, leading to the customary management of the forest to be called into question by the state and certain players in the timber industry. Drawing on Elinor Ostrom’s approach to the commons, Arthur Guérin-Turcq looks back at the historical development and specific features of relations between owners and users of Europe’s last community forest, and at the failings of this customary management in the context of climate change.