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International audience; While the main challenge in intertropical and boreal regions is tackling deforestation and forest resource degradation, forests and forestry in temperate regions face what may appear to be contradictory goals: to increase atmospheric carbon capture through sequestration in biomass and soils, while providing a growing share of the resources needed to produce essential material goods and energy for human societies as well as gradually renewing forests to enable them to adapt to future climate conditions. Creating a balance between these potentially competing priorities has been the subject of intense societal and scientific debate in recent years, which has prompted us to examine all aspects of these issues in greater depth. INRAE and IGN, at the request of the French Ministries responsible for agriculture and forestry, have jointly undertaken a scientific assessment to shed light on the details of this debate, using the example of forests and the forestry & wood sectors in metropolitan France. The results of this important exercise are presented in this book.

International audience; Addressing the societal and environmental challenges presented by global change requires fundamental changes to the way our society produces and consumes goods and services. Securing prosperity for a growing population, dealing with resource scarcity and mitigating climate change and environmental degradation will require an increased reliance on nature-based solutions, renewable energies and materials used in highly efficient and innovative closed material loops. That is what the circular bioeconomy can help to achieve.

Addressing the societal and environmental challenges presented by global change requires fundamental changes to the way our society produces and consumes goods and services. Securing prosperity for a growing population, dealing with resource scarcity and mitigating climate change and environmental degradation will require an increased reliance on nature-based solutions, renewable energies and materials used in highly efficient and innovative closed material loops. That is what the circular bioeconomy can help to achieve.

National audience

International audience

Situées dans le Sud-Ouest de la France, les Landes de Gascogne s’étendent sur environ 1,5 million d’hectares. L’activité forestière y est spatialement dominante, et l’agriculture présente sous forme d’ilots, le plus souvent irrigués. Déjà mis à l’épreuve sur la période récente par deux tempêtes majeures (Martin en 1999 et Klaus en 2009), le massif forestier de pin maritime est également confronté à des attaques sanitaires récurrentes et à la menace permanente des incendies. Parallèlement, depuis une vingtaine d’années, cet espace à dominante rurale, localisé à proximité de zones métropolitaines au Nord et au Sud, et bordé à l’Ouest par une façade littorale attractive, connait une forte croissance démographique et une diversification de ses activités économiques. Au regard des enjeux présents, les incertitudes concernant le devenir des Landes de Gascogne sont grandes. Elles le sont d’autant plus lorsqu’on envisage les enjeux de long terme : conséquences du changement climatique, dynamiques d’urbanisation, effet de la demande énergétique sur les industries du bois et la sylviculture… Les évolutions en cours et à venir questionnent le devenir de la filière forêt-bois, son insertion dans les dynamiques territoriales et, plus largement, le devenir de ce territoire dans l’espace régional mais aussi national, européen, et mondial. La prospective Massif des Landes de Gascogne lancée conjointement par le Conseil Régional d’Aquitaine et l’INRA a élaboré des scénarios d’évolution du Massif des Landes de Gascogne à l’horizon 2050 où les futurs possibles de la forêt et de la filière prennent place dans des devenirs territoriaux contrastés.

Situées dans le Sud-Ouest de la France, les Landes de Gascogne s’étendent sur environ 1,5 million d’hectares. L’activité forestière y est spatialement dominante, et l’agriculture présente sous forme d’ilots, le plus souvent irrigués. Déjà mis à l’épreuve sur la période récente par deux tempêtes majeures (Martin en 1999 et Klaus en 2009), le massif forestier de pin maritime est également confronté à des attaques sanitaires récurrentes et à la menace permanente des incendies. Parallèlement, depuis une vingtaine d’années, cet espace à dominante rurale, localisé à proximité de zones métropolitaines au Nord et au Sud, et bordé à l’Ouest par une façade littorale attractive, connait une forte croissance démographique et une diversification de ses activités économiques. Au regard des enjeux présents, les incertitudes concernant le devenir des Landes de Gascogne sont grandes. Elles le sont d’autant plus lorsqu’on envisage les enjeux de long terme : conséquences du changement climatique, dynamiques d’urbanisation, effet de la demande énergétique sur les industries du bois et la sylviculture… Les évolutions en cours et à venir questionnent le devenir de la filière forêt-bois, son insertion dans les dynamiques territoriales et, plus largement, le devenir de ce territoire dans l’espace régional mais aussi national, européen, et mondial. La prospective Massif des Landes de Gascogne lancée conjointement par le Conseil Régional d’Aquitaine et l’INRA a élaboré des scénarios d’évolution du Massif des Landes de Gascogne à l’horizon 2050 où les futurs possibles de la forêt et de la filière prennent place dans des devenirs territoriaux contrastés.

International audience; One of the highest priorities on EU and Australasian political agendas is climate change adaptation. In response, TRANZFOR partners are collaborating to transfer research knowledge for the forestry sector.

International audience; EFI’s new Discussion Paper, Are MCPFE Indicators Suitable for Planted Forests?, analyses the value of indicators for assessing sustainable forest management in the context of cultivated forests. It shows the diversity of indicators, the weaknesses of existing ones, and the benefits of new indicators tested during the FORSEE project. The paper also demonstrates the variability in the quality of indicators, and the limits of their comparability. The paper provides a summary and comparative analysis of the FORSEE project results. The FORSEE project, which ran from 2003-2006, studied indicators for sustainable forest management at a regional scale. A full set of internationally agreed criteria and indicators from MCPFE (now known as FOREST EUROPE) was tested over a network of pilot zones in eight Atlantic regions: Aquitaine, Castilla y Leon, Galicia, Basque Country, Ireland, Portugal Centre (Lousa), Navarra, and Portugal Centre (Sousa Valley). The FORSEE project was co-funded by the INTERREG IIIB Atlantic area and regional donors: Conseil regional d’Aquitaine, Gobierno de Navarra, Govierno vasco, Junta de Castilla y Leon and Xunta de Galicia.

Storm Damage and Classification • More than 130 separate wind storms have been identified as causing noticeable damage to European forests in the last 60 years (~2/year). • Storms are responsible for more than 50% of all primary abiotic and biotic damage by volume to European forests from catastrophic events. • Storm damage is categorized in this report into 3 components: o Primary damage: Initial mechanical damage to the trees caused by the storm o Secondary damage: Subsequent damage following the initial wind storm. This is mostly from bark beetles, but can be from other biotic factors, fire, sun, snow/ice and even additional wind damage. o Tertiary damage: Loss of production in shortened forest rotations and other long-term constraints on forest operations • A proposed storm classification has been developed based on the percentage of growing stock (%GS) initially damaged (primary damage) by the storm. • 11 Storms (January 1953, September 1967, September 1969, November 1972, October 1987, January-March 1990, December 1999, November 2004, January 2005, January 2007, January 2009) were selected for study in greater detail. • An extensive database of storms; and a more detailed database for the 11 specific storms have been created. These are available online at: http://www.efiatlantic.efi.int/portal/databases/European_storms_catalogue[br/] Contributing Factors • The amount and location of storm damage and the vulnerability of forest stands is a complex interaction between the meteorological conditions and stand location, soil type, stand composition, and past forest management. • The evidence for the impacts of certain forest operations, species choices or site conditions is often weak, missing or contradictory. Therefore, we have only made statements when there is clear scientific evidence to support these statements. • Gust peak wind speed is strongly correlated to the maximum potential levels of damage: o No appreciable damage for gust peak wind speeds below 30 ms-1 o Moderate levels of damage (maximum damage up to 2% of national growing stock) for gust peak wind speeds between 30 ms-1 and 40 ms-1 o High levels of damage (maximum potential damage between 2 - 4% of national growing stock) for gust peak wind speeds between 40 ms-1 and 45 ms-1 o Severe levels of damage (maximum potential damage > 4% of national growing stock) for gust wind speeds above 45 ms-1. • Tree height has an important impact on vulnerability. • Statistical analysis of storm damage suggests that spruces and poplar are among the most vulnerable and silver fir and oak among the least vulnerable respectively of the conifers and broadleaves. However, such differences, and 5 the generally higher susceptibility of conifers to damage, are confounded by differences in species management and the choice of sites on which they are planted. • Soil condition is very important. Root anchorage strength is increased by soil freezing, and reduced by water-logging and heavy rain and by poor drainage that allows soil saturation during storms. • Recent thinning, particularly in older stands, is often associated with increased damage. • The vertical structure of stands (e.g. irregular versus regular) appears to have little influence on stability. • Taking any site or stand factor in isolation as a way of assessing vulnerability and/or risk of a forest can be completely misleading. [br/] Current and Future Trends • The increase of growing stock and average forest age across Europe in the last 60 years has contributed to the increase of observed damage. • If the total growing stock and average age of European forests continues to increase there will be a proportional increase in the volume of storm damaged trees. • There is some evidence that storm intensity is increasing and that storm tracks are penetrating further into mainland Europe and along a wider swathe, increasing the risk to forests in Eastern Europe. • With climate change, higher temperatures will lead to longer periods of unfrozen soils during European winters, potentially leading to an increase in damage particularly in Fennoscandia. • Storms will tend to be accompanied by heavier rainfall leading to more saturated soils and increased risk of wind damage. • If the current build-up of growing stock continues together with predicted changes to the climate, damage levels are expected to at least double, and possibly quadruple, by the end of the century. • Best current estimates suggest that storm damage to European forests results in an annual reduction of 2% in the carbon sequestration by forests. This figure could exceed 5% by the end of the century if the current build-up of growing stock continues.[br/] Existing Responses to Storms • There is no consistent recording and reporting system for wind damage across Europe or for reporting damage from different hazards (abiotic and biotic). This leads to uncertainties in relative levels of wind damage within different parts of Europe and in assessing the importance of specific hazards. • There is a large amount of information and knowledge within Europe on the causes of forest storm damage and the best methods for dealing with their aftermath. However, this information is widely dispersed, is often out-of-date and may only be available in certain languages. • Most countries in Europe affected by storm damage to forests respond in a similar manner. This includes providing subsidies for harvesting, transport and 6 forest restoration, the short-term derogation of controls, and the production of guidelines on the best methods to re-establish or regenerate the storm affected forests. The similarity in approaches makes the production of a European wide set of generic advice, best practice guidelines and policy instruments a possibility.

International audience

National audience

National audience; Les écosystèmes forestiers sont particulièrement sensibles au réchauffement planétaire. Mieux utilisées, mieux gérées, les forêts pourraient être un élément clé de la lutte contre le changement climatique.

National audience; Avec le concept de gestion durable, s’est généralisée l’utilisation de critères et indicateurs, permettant d’observer l’évolution des forêts. Cette évaluation se fait généralement à l’échelle nationale, sur la base d’inventaires et de listes d’indicateurs constituées lors de processus inter-gouvernementaux. En parallèle, des processus de certifications se sont mis en place nécessitant des approches plus régionales ou locales. C’est ainsi qu’apparaît la nécessité de développer des outils plus proche du terrain pour répondre aux questions des gestionnaires et du public avec des références objectives et validées scientifiquement. Pour ce faire, nous décrivons la démarche du projet FORSEE qui se décompose comme suit : (i) définition de zones pilotes homogènes d’un point de vue bioclimatique et socio économique, (ii) élaboration d’indicateurs et évaluation de leur pertinence par des études scientifiques (iii) études comparatives basées sur des protocoles communs (iv) communication et transfert des résultats aux acteurs locaux et nationaux. Une partie du protocole des indicateurs clefs du projet est présentée.

Chapitre 26; International audience

FORSEE est un projet financé sur la période 2003-2007 par le Fonds européen de développement régional (FEDER) à hauteur de 1,8 M€, dans le cadre du Programme Interreg III B "Espace Atlantique". Ce projet d’un montant global de 3 M€ est coordonné par l’IEFC (Institut Européen de la Forêt Cultivée) et rassemble 23 partenaires (organismes de recherche, de développement et socioprofessionnels). Le projet FORSEE a pour ambition de consolider le processus de certification de la gestion durable des forêts au niveau régional. La faisabilité, le coût et la pertinence des indicateurs de gestion durable des forêts ont été testés sur un réseau de 8 zones pilotes de plusieurs milliers d’hectares de forêt sur 4 pays de l’Arc Atlantique. Au niveau Aquitain, la zone pilote de Pontenx-les Forges d’une superficie de 100 000 ha, au sein du Massif des Landes de Gascogne, a été choisie pour tester et évaluer en grandeur réelle les critères et indicateurs liés aux thèmes suivants : le stockage du Carbone, la santé des forêts, la production de bois, la biodiversité, la protection des eaux et des sols, la propriété forestière et l’emploi de la filière. Le projet FORSEE, par la mise en place d’un réseau de zone pilote aux échelles régionales et par l’harmonisation des méthodes d’évaluation des critères et indicateurs, constitue une approche pertinente pour la gestion durable des forêts d’une part et pour le transfert de connaissances aux gestionnaires concernés d’autre part. Au-delà des valeurs de référence des indicateurs mesurés dans FORSEE et de l’estimation des coûts afférents à leur évaluation, les avancées apportées par le projet concernent des développements méthodologiques pour des indicateurs prioritaires d’évaluation de la Gestion Durable des Forêts (GDF). Ces valeurs de références et ces méthodologies pourront constituer à l’avenir la base d’un monitoring régional de la Gestion Durable des Forêts en articulation avec les suivis nationaux ou européens

International audience; The idea of indicators in relation to sustainability was formally taken up by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio, in June 1992. In its Agenda 21, it was agreed to develop indicators of sustainable development in order to provide solid bases for decision-making at all levels and to contribute to the self-regulating sustainability of integrated environment and development systems. Sustainable development indicators serve as instruments for measuring progress towards the reaching of the goal of sustainable development. Many definitions for indicators are available. The six main functions for indicators that are important for their application include reporting, communication, forecasting, focusing, political control, and check for effectiveness. In the pan European process for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), an indicator is a quantitative or qualitative parameter which can be assessed in relation to a criterion; the indicators show changes over time for each criterion and demonstrate the progress made towards its specified objective. (MCPFE). The indicators for Sustainable Forest Management need to be consistent with other relevant existing sustainability indicator frameworks with respect to themes and issues covered. Estimates confined only to forest sector are of limited use for policy-makers at higher levels. Both sector-specific and general frameworks have to be considered when improving SFM indicators. For MCPFE indicators, the main attention needs to be paid to consistency and articulation with: existing general European frameworks such as EU sustainability impact assessment (SIA) guidelines, the Sustainable Development Indicators of the European Union (SDI-Eurostat) or the European Union Rural Indicators (PAIS); and specific sectoral or cross-sectoral frameworks such as those under development in 6 FP for quantitative SIA of forestry-wood chains (Eforwood integrated project) and of land-use changes (Sensor integrated project)

The D2.0.2 Progress report Module 2 contains an overview of the work conducted and activities carried out by the Module partners during the first year. It presents a description of progress toward the objectives of the project and the milestones and deliverables foreseen. The identification of the problems encountered and corrective actions taken or proposed are also presented. Appendix 1 provides detailed annual report from each Work-Package

Ce rapport intermédiaire présente l’état d’avancement du réseau ERESFOR après 3 années d’étude (première tranche : octobre 2003 à octobre 2005 et seconde tranche : octobre 2005 à mars 2007financée par le MAP). Le réseau ERESFOR est un réseau national de sites expérimentaux boisés faisant l’objet d’épandage de produits résiduaires. Il est piloté par un comité national d’expertise formé par le regroupement de plusieurs organismes de recherche et de développement : MEDD, MAAPAR, ADEME, INRA, CEMAGREF, AFOCEL, IDF, ONF et ASTEE. Le réseau ERESFOR est actuellement composé de 24 sites expérimentaux : 6 sont gérés par l’INRA, 8 par l’AFOCEL, 6 par l’IDF, 2 par l’ONF et 2 par le Conseil Général et l’Université des Bouches du Rhône. Le suivi régulier et à moyen terme (> 3ans) de chaque site du réseau fournit une quantité importante d’informations concernant (1) les produits épandus, (2) les sols, (3) les solutions de sol, (4) les nappes, (5) les arbres, (6) le sous-bois, (7) les champignons, (8) la faune (escargots et vers de terre). L’intégration de toutes ces informations à une Base de Données commune permet d’analyser de façon rigoureuse l’impact des épandages de boue sur les écosystèmes forestiers. Les 2 étapes importantes que sont l’audit des sites du réseau et la constitution d’une Base de Données commune ont pris du retard compte-tenu des délais d’attribution des subventions, mais sont quasiment achevées en cette fin d’année 2006. Une plaquette de présentation et un site Web décrivant le réseau ERESFOR ont été réalisés en collaboration avec le service Communication de l’INRA Bordeaux. La plaquette de présentation est actuellement en cours d’impression (2000 exemplaires). Le site Web hébergé par l’INRA Bordeaux est actuellement accessible en ligne à l’adresse URL suivante : http//:www.bordeaux.inra.fr/eresfor. L’objectif final du projet ERESFOR est la rédaction d’un Manuel de Recommandations Technique pour l’épandage de produits résiduaires sur parcelles boisées. Il s’agit de faire la synthèse des résultats acquis dans le cadre du réseau et de proposer des recommandations techniques déduites de l’expérience acquise sur les sites expérimentaux. Le manuel sera rédigé en commun avec l’ensemble des membres du Comité. Un plan détaillé a été établi et des rédacteurs ont été nommés pour chaque partie. Une première version du manuel sera disponible à la fin du mois de mars 2007. Enfin, un colloque de restitution des résultats aura lieu au mois d’octobre 2007 à Paris. A cette occasion, des discussions s’engageront entre les différents acteurs de la filière (producteurs de boue, forestiers, collectivités, scientifiques, associations de protection de la nature) concernant les recommandations techniques faites par le comité. A la suite du colloque, le manuel de recommandations techniques sera validé puis remis aux Ministères concernés. Afin d’inclure ce colloque de restitution finale dans le projet et de finaliser le manuel de recommandations techniques en tenant compte des avis des utilisateurs, il est demandé au Ministère une extension de 8 mois de la seconde tranche du projet (date d’achèvement du projet: novembre 2007)

International audience

Session 149 : Realizing the environmental benefits of forests; International audience

Session : The certification of fast-grown plantation forests: Issues, costs and benefits; International audience

International audience

National audience

National audience; Within the framework of the future European strategy for soil protection (COM (2002), 179), consideration is given to the safe use, recovery, recycling and disposal of sewage sludge¹ and other biodegradable wastes (biowastes)² , with emphasis on the responsible recycling of organic residuals through land application as part of an overall strategy on the prevention and recycling of wastes (COM (2003) 301). In EU-15, 45 % of total annual production of 7.3 million tonnes of sewage sludge (dry matter) is currently recycled on land, largely in agriculture. Recycling of sludge on forested land is almost nonexistent and is even forbidden in a few European countries such as Germany. Beyond the generally accepted statement that the use of residuals should be prohibited in natural forests, it is also recognised that in the context of more intensively managed forest systems for biomass or wood production, positive effects of sludge and biowaste application can be expected. In France, recent regulations (1998) on sludge utilisation on land allow applications on forested land but only under experimental conditions. In this context, the research community has been asked to develop additional pertinent information on the environmental sustainability, economic viability and social acceptability of such recycling forest systems which policy makers may be able to use. The main questions which have been addressed concern the fate of heavy metals and other potentially toxic elements in forest ecosystems, the effects on ecosystem functioning and on biodiversity, the potential transfer to the food chain, and the social acceptance. Methodologies include in-situ mesocosms studies, dose-response forest experiments and social surveys. A national network representative of organic residuals types, forest soils conditions and tree species has been established in the past four years. Long term monitoring and demonstration sites are essential components of this integrated experimental approach. Initial results, including effects on forest ecosystem functioning (growth, nutrition) and biodiversity, and effects on forest environment (soil, water) are presented for forest plantations receiving low rates of application of municipal or pulpmill sludge

National audience

National audience

International audience; To ensure that forest ecosystem services will be maintained in future climate conditions, the challenge of developing and implementing forest adaptation strategies has become a priority shared across Europe (European Commission 2010) and around the world (FAO 2012). A critical aspect of any adaptation (and mitigation) strategy is to ensure that management choices have sufficient flexibility and are consistent with sustainable forest management (SFM) principles that balance the forest’s social, ecological and economic outputs. Most current studies, however, still tend to consider forest adaptation independently of exogenous developments (Seppälä et al. 2009), or are based on forecasting and thus only extrapolate from current trends. Yet the futures of forest systems are also uncertain because change may come mainly from socio-economic, and not ecological, drivers (Schoene and Bernier 2012). Climate change will, moreover, have a highly uncertain effect on socio-ecological systems such as forests. A number of authors and international publications on the environment have posited that scenarios studies offer a framework for dealing with strong uncertainties and the complexity of socio-ecological systems: “Comparisons among a set of contrasting scenarios are used to understand the systemic interrelation and dynamics of complex socio-ecological systems and to define a range of possibilities and uncertainties in quantitative and qualitative terms” (Thompson et al. 2012). Likewise, SFM practices are beginning to underscore the importance of taking into account landscape-level views of the forest, and of the many exogenous drivers of regional change, when thinking about integrated land use (Schoene and Bernier 2012). Adaptation strategies must therefore move away from single technical solutions and must not rely on one-size-fits-all mechanisms. New modes of governance that enable rapidly accelerating social, economic and institutional changes are required (Seppälä et al. 2009). Recent emphasis has also been placed on the importance of implementing regionally based forest adaptation strategies that are accepted by local stakeholders (Spathelf et al. 2013). A scenario planning approach that engages stakeholders in scenario development could be a way to overcome such challenges by combining anticipatory learning of climate change impacts (Tschakert and Dietrich 2010) with land use planning. Thus, forest adaptation could be seen from a perspective of forest planning rather than of forest management. It could involve a more indirect form of management that is broader in scale in terms of time, space and organisational level (Mermet and Farcy 2011).The objective of this paper is to discuss how a foresight approach and scenario planning can offer an appropriate framework for dealing with climate change uncertainties at local level, and for elaborating a plurality of forest adaptation strategies derived from plausible sectoral, socio-ecological and regional changes. To test this assumption, the Landes de Gascogne Forest (LGF) 2050 case study (Mora et al. 2012) appears particularly interesting, due both to recent storm damage in 1999 and 2009 and because of the increasing, diverse demands in changing economic and social conditions for various forest ecosystem goods and services. The Landes region of south-western France is located at the intersection of Northern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. It covers a surface area of about 15,000 km2. The major biophysical features of the area include temperate, oceanic climate conditions, podzolic sandy soils and shallow groundwater levels. The LGF, which was expanded in the nineteenth century to become the largest cultivated and privately owned (92 %) forest in Europe, is primarily composed of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster). The LGF covers two thirds of the Landes de Gascogne region, with agricultural and built-up land representing 18 and 7 %, respectively (Mora et al. 2012). The forest also has a significant economic impact through its forestry and forest-based industries. A unique aspect of the Landes forest-wood chain is the location of both timber processing stages within the region and its largely exclusive use of local maritime pine wood resources. However, the forestry and forest-based sector have faced difficulties since the Martin and Klaus storms in 1999 and 2009 that created approximately 70 million cubic metres of windthrow damage. The forestry sector is also experiencing structural challenges as synergies among industry subsectors weaken and biorefinery activities gain prominence. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the large urban centres of Bordeaux to the north and Bayonne to the south (Fig. 1), the Landes area has become an increasingly popular place to live and to work. Almost all of the 390 municipalities in the region are now experiencing population growth, urbanisation, the emergence of a broader base of economic activity and, more generally, a diversification of their forest-derived goods and services. The contribution of forest-related activities to the rural economy and to social well-being may change as a result of these trends (Slee et al. 2004).