Forests in France

ONF (Office National de la Fôret) has pleaded for a more favourable financial regime to encourage proper husbandry of the forest but so far the government has not reacted.

One third of the land area of France is covered with forest more than 75% of which is in the hands of private owners with very small wooded areas. 

This has led to the situation where the forests are often not properly managed, with many being left to become overgrown. However, wood is fast becoming an increasingly important resource and the government has tried several times to increase the economic value of the wood. Nowadays much of the felled timber is sent as logs in containers to China where it is processed and then possibly reappears here in the form of furniture sold by the large retailers such as IKEA. 

As a result there are fewer and fewer sawmills now operating which means a loss of income and possible unemployment for the local area. ONF (Office National de la Fôret) has pleaded for a more favourable financial regime to encourage proper husbandry of the forest but so far the government has not reacted.