Wednesday, 09 February 2022
FSC-Certified French Oak Availability Improves
With a growing FSC-certified forest area, France can supply customers looking for French species, such as the famous French oak.
Even though France has one of the largest forest areas in Europe, with respect to FSC-certified wood it has long been considered a black hole in the European market. This situation is now rapidly changing!
After hard work from FSC France, FSC-certified forest areas have more than quadrupled in the past five years. FSC France is now fully concentrated on developing local certified areas, supporting foresters to understand how to achieve FSC certification.
One of the biggest changes over the past few years has been the certification of four forests by the state forest service, which manages 25% of the forest area in the country.
Studies with French forest managers have found that they now have the capacity and willingness to develop their FSC-certified forests if they receive a clear signal from the market to do so.
So, if you are looking for French oak, now is the time to ask suppliers for FSC-certified options.
And if you need help, don’t hesitate to contact FSC France. They have staff dedicated to supporting market growth and building new connections between Chain-of-Custody certificate holders and forest managers.
For more information, please contact Patrick Baraize, Supply Chain development Officer (p.baraize@fr.fsc.org).