BOISmag 229
A turbulent summer
After a start to the year marked by a continued downturn in the construction sector, the pausing of the MaPrimeRénov’ scheme, and the launch of a broad moratorium on the EPR for construction products and materials (REP PMCB), the summer period also brought its share of news and surprises for professionals across the industry. In early June, first of all, Codifab and the interprofession France Bois Forêt unveiled the latest—and rather respectable—figures from the new national Timber Construction survey carried out by the Xerfi institute, which you can discover in the following pages… A month later, the Senate’s Economic Affairs office published, at a stroke, an unsparing report on the competitiveness of the French wood sector. Released almost unnoticed just days before many professionals left for summer holidays, this document highlights the paradoxical situation of our industry, which accounts for “one tenth of France’s trade deficit […] while one-third of the country’s land area is covered by forests”! It also offers 24 recommendations to identify “the levers to activate and the obstacles to remove to optimize the competitiveness of the downstream segment of the sector,” which we will detail in our next issue…
As has been the case for several years now, summer was above all marked by the effects of climate disruption. With heatwaves becoming longer and earlier, forest fires spared no massif. With more than 35,000 hectares up in smoke in mainland France—and over a million across Europe—fire set new records. Fully aware of the problem, foresters and cooperatives have stepped up efforts to raise awareness of best practices, circulating numerous messages and statements. The same goes for the government, which has been regularly revising its approach—from the publication of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan last March to the National Strategy for the Defense of Forests and Non-Forested Areas Against Wildfires in early June…
But more than consultations, adaptation plans, or other strategies, the forest above all needs resources—concrete, sustainable funding to help it withstand the onslaught of the climate. If ecology was not the government’s priority in the 2025 budget, let us hope that recent events will argue in favor of our sector: on the one hand, to boost its competitiveness—and avoid yet another unflattering report—and on the other, to try to preserve our massifs and prepare the forest of tomorrow…
As summer draws to a close, the new season once again promises to be packed with news. Our industry awaits many answers to prepare its future, rekindle growth, ease tensions, and finally claim the place it deserves. Wishing everyone a very good restart.
Adèle Cazier