The wood market - France (2025)

1.2 A healthy global market, driven by the United States and China

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (***) offers a comprehensive database on wood production and trade balance, by country and wood product/variety, from **** to ****.

Industrial roundwood

Industrial roundwood refers toany type of wood that has been felled and shaped prior to further processing. According to the FAO, global industrial roundwood production will reach *,*** million m³ in ****, down slightly on the previous year (***).

This represents strong growth between **** and ****.

Global roundwood production World, ****-****, in million m³ FAO

Global wood production is mainly driven by Asia and America, closely followed by Europe and Asia. For the time being, Oceania remains on the bangs of production, with only *% of global output.

Breakdown of global roundwood production World, ****, in FAO

According to the International Tropical Timber Organization's World Timber Situation Report ****, this wood is almost evenly divided between two main categories of use.

- **% of world production is used for energy (***): charcoal, pellets and firewood

- **% for industrial roundwood: sawn timber, panels and chipboard, paper, etc

[***]

Wood for energy/heating

In ****, global production of wood for heating/energy amounted to *,*** million m³. Production fell slightly in ****, but is now recovering.

Global production of wood for heating World, ****-****, in million ...

1.3 The French wood market

Sales on the French market:

In the first half of ****, the volume of timber from public forests fell by **% compared with the same period in ****. However, despite this decline, sales reached *** million euros, a decrease limited to *%.

Wood market size France, *st half ****, € million Source: ****

To estimate the **** sales figure for the French timber market, we take the figures for the *st half of ****, and the average selling prices for standing timber in ****.

To detail the calculation, we have the price of oak in **** which is ***€ per cubic meter, **,*** m* were sold in the *st half of **** so the sales volume is **.* million €.

Beech costs **€ per cubic meter in ****, **** cubic meters were sold in the *st half of ****, i.e. a value of (***) ***,***€.

Douglas fir sells for €** per cubic meter. **,*** cubic meters were sold, representing a value of €*.* million.

Norway spruce sells for €** per cubic meter. **,*** cubic meters were sold, representing a value of €*.* million.

Sitka spruce sells for €** per cubic meter in ****. **,*** m* were sold, giving a value of €*.** million.

Pectiné fir will sell for €** per cubic meter in ****. **,*** m* were sold, giving a value of €*.** million.

Maritime pine: €** per m*. **,*** m* sold. In terms of value, this represents €*.** million ...

2.1 Long-term determinants

The timber industry and the emergence of environmental awareness

In recent years, the timber industry has suffered from increased environmental awareness on the part of consumers[***]. On the one hand, logging is often associated with deforestation in public opinion. But this is not true when it comes to French forests, which are managed in part by the Office National des Forêts (***).

Wood products are also well known as renewable energy sources and eco-materials. As a result, people's environmental awareness is reflected in their purchases of certified environmentally-friendly products. This is particularly true of the paper industry, for example with recycled paper, whose consumption rose from **.*% in **** to **.*% in ****[***]. By ****, this percentage would have risen to **.*%.

Recycled paper consumption France, ****-****, in Source: ****

Public policies favor the use of wood

The desire to promote renewable energies over fossil fuels at European level is reflected in a proactive policy to promote the use of wood in construction (***), for example through the recovery of wood offcuts for firewood[***].

In addition, regulations concerning plastic products (***).

2.2 Short-term determinants

Weather disasters

Weather conditions have an impact on wood industry activities, both on the supply and demand sides. In the latter case, winter temperatures have a strong influence on wood energy consumption. Low temperatures and prolonged cold spells increase heating requirements. Wood energy (***) is generally used as a supplementary heating source to traditional central heating, and is even more important during cold periods. Thus, during the warmer winters of ****-**** and ****-****, demand for wood energy declined. At the same time, the low temperatures of the ****-**** and ****-**** winters led to an increase in consumption and therefore in the price of firewood[***].

However, climate change and rising temperatures in recent years are leading to a decrease in demand for firewood. The winter of ****-**** is the warmest on record in France, with temperatures *.* degrees above normal. Previously, Météo France had already recorded three of the four warmest winters in the last ten years: ****-****, ****-**** (***).

Economic growth

Wooden pallets, used in warehouse logistics, are the first products to be affected by the various economic cycles. They therefore also have a direct impact on the activities of the timber sectors[***].

2.3 Overview of key customer markets

New housing market

In November ****, the new-build sector continued to contract, with housing authorizations down *.*% on October to **,*** units. On a broader perspective, the number of authorized housing units remains **% below its average level for the twelve months preceding the first confinement.

Over one year, between December **** and November ****, ***,*** housing units were authorized, down **,*** (***).

In terms of housing starts, **,*** units were reportedly launched in November ****, recording a slight increase of *.*% on October (***). However, this volume remains **% below the average for the twelve months prior to the health crisis.

For the year as a whole, ***,*** housing units would have been started, down **.*% (***) on the December **** - November **** period.

This contraction in the new construction market is having a direct impact on demand for timber, curbing consumption of materials for structures, cladding and exterior fittings.

Number of housing units authorized and started France, January ****-March ****, in thousands Source: ****

Furniture market

The furniture market continues to contract, down *.*% in the first ten months of ****, confirming forecasts of a decline of between -*% and -*% for the year as a whole.the month of October had only a marginal impact on this trend, and the Black Friday period, which extends throughout November in some chains, ...

3.1 French production of wood raw materials

In ****, **.* million cubic meters of wood were marketed in France, up *% on ****. However, despite this large increase, the roundwood harvest has remained fairly stable since ****, with a variation of - *.*%[***].

Roundwood harvests France, ****-****, in millions of cubic meters Source: ****

In terms of types of wood harvested, softwood lumber accounts for **.*% of total harvests, followed by industrial wood (***).

Wood harvest by type France, ****, in Source: ****

3.2 Overview of French forests

According to the Office national des forêts, public forests cover *.* million hectares in mainland France, or *% of the territory. Of this total, *.* million hectares belong to the State and *.* million hectares to local authorities. Overseas territories include * million hectares of public forests, supported by French Guiana. [***]

If private forests are added, the forest area in **** will cover **% of the territory, or **.* million hectares in France métropolitaine[***] Two-thirds of forests are composed of deciduous trees, while the rest are coniferous, coniferous and mixed forests.

Forest cover in France has increased by an average of *.*% per year since ****. It is the most important land use after agriculture, covering more than half of metropolitan France. The main reasons for this increase are attributed to agricultural decline and afforestation, among others. To a lesser extent, climate change is also contributing to tree growth and productivity[***].

Forest area in mainland France France, ****-****, in millions of hectares Source: ****

Only four departments in mainland France have more than **% forest cover: Corse du Sud, Var, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes Maritimes.

In France, private forests account for around **% of total forest area, covering **.* million hectares. The remaining quarter is made up of public forests, divided between state-owned forests ...

3.3 French sawmills in difficulty

Over the long term, sawmill activity has declined considerably. Of the **,*** sawmills that existed in France in ****, only **% are still in operation in **** (***).

In ****, Urssaf counted *** establishments in the wood sawing and planing activity, excluding impregnation (***), a figure stable compared to ****.

Number of establishments in wood sawing and planing (***) France, ****-****, in number of establishments Source: ****

Softwood sawmilling

Softwood sawmill production fell by *% between **** and ****, reaching *.** million cubic meters in ****. In fact, the general trend has been stable since its peak in ****-****.[***].

Softwood lumber production France, ****-****, in millions of cubic meters Source: ****

By far the most frequently sawn species are spruce and fir, which account for **% of softwood lumber volume (***) ranks third, with production declining since ****, having reached *.** million cubic meters in ****.

Sawing hardwood trees

Distribution of softwood lumber by type France, ****, in % Source: ****

Total hardwood sawnwood production in **** was *.*** million cubic meters.

Hardwood sawnwood production France, ****-****, in million cubic meters Source: ****

Oak leads the way in the hardwood sector with **% of volumes, although it is the wood that suffered the biggest decline between **** and ****. Next come beech (***)[***].

Distribution of sawn hardwood by type France, ****, in Source: ****

3.5 Contractualization: a strategic lever for structuring the timber industry and decarbonizing the economy

Faced with the challenges of climate change and the need to stabilize wood supplies, contractualization is emerging as a key tool for structuring the industry. By ****, the Office national des forêts (***) forecasts that **% of wood from state-owned forests and **% from local authority forests will be sold under supply contracts, compared with just **% in ****.

These contracts, developed since ****, precisely define the volumes, species, qualities and prices of wood supplied to French and European manufacturers. By guaranteeing companies a stable supply and securing revenues for local authorities and the ONF, this model reduces dependence on market fluctuations and encourages investment in wood processing. By ****, **% of wood from public forests was already under contract, confirming progress towards the targets set by the French government.

In state-owned forests, the contractualization rate will reach **% by ****, with softwood and hardwood (***) nearing completion. Communal forests, still attached to auction sales, are gradually moving towards this model. Since the end of ****, the ONF has been supporting this transition by providing local elected representatives with an information kitto help them better understand the system.

Contractualization rate in the timber industry France, ****-****, in Source: ****

More than a simple management tool, contractualization is a direct response to environmental and economic ...

4.1 Wood prices

In ****, on average, wood prices will be lower than in ****. However, this depends on the type of tree:

Source: ****

Standing timber:

Change in standing timber prices France, June ****-June ****, in % (***) Source: ****

Shaped wood:

Price changes for shaped wood France, june ****-june ****, in % (***) Source: ****

4.2 Sawn timber

A log defines tree trunks that have not yet been squared, i.e. cut at right angles. The Centre d'Etudes de l'Economie du Bois(***) provides quarterly information on prices recorded for various logs.

Oak

Various products are made directly from oak wood. Depending on the diameter of the trunk, the use to which it will be put (***), oak prices can vary. Below is a summary table of prices recorded for the third quarter of ****.

Source: ****

Of all the logs produced in France, oak has seen the sharpest rise in prices in recent years.

Spruce

Prices for this wood have risen little over the past year. Prices have been fairly stable for almost ** years, with the exception of select planks and bastaings, which have risen by **.*% in almost ** years. Overall, prices for this log range from €*** to €*** per cubic meter.

Source: ****

Pine

Prices can vary between maritime and Scotch pine, the latter generally being less expensive. Prices range from *** euros per cubic meter for maritime pine in choice *, to *** euros per cubic meter for maritime pine in choice *A.

All detailed figures in this journal are provided by CEEB.

Beech

FB* beech lumber sold at *** euros per cubic meter in the third ...

4.3 Technical costs for machines and forestry operations

According to the fCBA Memento for the year ****, the productivity and cost of technical forest machines are summarized in the table below:

Source: ****

These costs include fixed costs (***) and personnel costs. They do not take into account other business-related expenses

The main factors of variation are site conditions, annual production, depreciation periods, etc.

5.2 National policy framework

According to unece.orgtwo major documents provide a framework for national forest and wood policy. These are the National Forest and Wood Program (***)

The former was prepared in **** and published by decree on February *, ****. Its design brought together all the sector's professional and institutional players. This interministerial program sets four objectives for the sector

Increase wood harvesting in France while ensuring forest renewal Fully integrate public expectations of the forest (***) Taking account of climate change in its two components (***) Creating opportunities for French forestproducts

The additional wood mobilization objective included in the PNFB is fully reflected in the national low-carbon strategy (***), demonstrating the consistency between the objectives of the national forest policy and those of the national energy transition policy. The second was signed at the end of **** by the ministers in charge of forests, economy and industry, housing, ecology and energy, the Association of French Regions and the sector's professional organizations, from upstream to downstream.

The actions to be carried out within the framework of this contract, by both the public authorities and the professional organizations, concern the management tools needed by the sector, the financing and support of l companies, the development of employment and the improvement of the ...

5.3 Future standards

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (***), adopted in June ****, aims to ban the marketing in Europe of products linked to deforestation, including timber, coffee, cocoa and palm oil. Originally scheduled to come into force in January ****, it has been pushed back to December **** to allow companies to comply with traceability and due diligence requirements. This text has been the subject of a political tug-of-war, particularly in the European Parliament, where the right and extreme right have tried to reduce its scope. Despite these attempts to amend the text, the Member States finally voted in favor of maintaining the regulation in its original version. This legislation is part of the European strategy to combat deforestation and promote ecological transition. [***]

6.1 Segmentation

6.2 The analyst's eye

Background:

The industrial roundwood market is dominated by a few major producing regions, with a high concentration in America (***) could accentuate these disparities by imposing strict traceability standards and impacting export flows from producer countries to Europe.

Major trends:

*st trend: Oak is under-represented in volume but over-represented in value. According to a study by the Observatoire économique de France bois forêt dating from ****, oak accounts for **% of harvested timber volumes, but its market share in value terms is **.*% in ****.

*nd trend: The external deficit is declining, but remains substantial. In ****, the timber industry's external deficit will amount to €*.* billion. It has fallen by €*.* billion since ****.

*rd trend: A downward trend in oak exports and an upward trend in beech exports. Between **** and ****, oak sawnwood exports fell by **%, while beech exports rose by **%.

*th trend: Private forests dominate in France. In ****, there will be **% private forests, compared with **% public forests.

*th trend: Between June **** and June ****, the general trend in wood prices is downwards. Standing timber (***) is down by ** and *%, except for ash, which is up by *%.

*th trend: The volume of conifers (***) sawn in France falls from *.* million cubic meters in **** to *.* million ...

• Office National des Forêts
• Alliance Forêts Bois
• Smurfit Kappa Comptoir du Pin
• Comptoir des bois de Brive
• Egger
• ISB grpupe
• Swiss Krono
• Unilin (Mohawk industries)
• Palette Gestion Services (PGS Groupe)
• TFF Group
• Oeneo
• Saint-Gobain Groupe
• Ikea France
• Fargesbois
• Gedex Gedimat Gedibois
• Ducerf Groupe
• Rougier Groupe
• O2 Factory