In France, climate change is affecting forest areas and impacts will grow as climate warming intensifies. Forests produce vital ecosystem services that slow down the climate change, and thus the production needs to be secured while new investments are needed to adapt the forests for future climate.

Wood production to decarbonise the economy and produce more environmentally friendly and less carbon intensive products is needed. Further, biodiversity and social functions are increasingly important and valued as part of multifunctional forests. Forest management needs to combine increasing wood production with the need to increase biodiversity simultaneously.

Recent publication by the Comité Spécialisé de Gestion Durable des Forêts for the French Ministry of Agriculture highlights the need for both afforestation and adapting the existing forests to a changing climate. There are large areas that have not been cultivated in the past 15 years and more areas that need planting with native species to increase biodiversity and climate resistance. This affects an area of up to 1.7 million hectares, needing investment of up to EUR 10 billion.

For more information: https://agriculture.gouv.fr/marc-fesneau-et-sarah-el-hairy-recoivent-le-rapport-objectif-foret-en-vue-de-lelaboration-du-plan