The growing-stock volume of the French forests is estimated at 2.8 billion cubic meters.
This volume calculated by the NFI is the stem volume of live trees having a diameter at breast height superior to 7.5 cm, from the stump to a minimum 7 cm top diameter over bark.
The growing-stock volume per hectare is 174 m³.
Almost 2/3 (72%) of the growing-stock volume are in privately-owned forests.
The volume per hectare is higher in state forests (198 m³/ha).
The French forest is mainly a broadleaved forest (64% of the growing-stock volume and more than 2/3 of the total forest area).
Broadleaved trees are mostly located in flat and low-elevation areas, except the Landes of Gascogne region in South-Western France, which is dominated by maritime pine, whereas the coniferous are in mountainous and Mediterranean areas (for more information, read the article "More than 190 tree species inventoried in France").
The oak wood volume accounts for 1/4 of the total growing-stock volume, beech for 10%, Norway spruce for 8% and silver fir for 8%.
NB: The results are extracted from the inventory campains led between 2013 and 2017.
Basic volume estimates in productive forests (Forest inventory 2014-2018)
GROWING STOCK | ||
Volume of trees with dbh >= 7.5 cm, including stump, bole up to 7 cm diameter and bark | ||
Total (Mio m³) | Total per hectare (m³/ha) | |
Total | 2,761 ± 46 | 174 ± 3 |
Broadleaves | 1,758 ± 35 | 111 ± 2 |
Conifers | 1,003 ± 36 | 63 ± 2 |
ANNUAL INCREMENT OF GROWING STOCK | ||
Mean annual volume increment computed over the last 5 years; includes the biological increment and the volume of trees that reached 7.5 dbh in the last 5 years | ||
Total (Mio m³ per year) | Total per hectare (m³/ha per year) | |
Total | 90.8 ± 1.3 | 5.7 ± 0.1 |
Broadleaves | 53.3 ± 0.9 | 3.4 ± 0.1 |
Conifers | 37.5 ± 1.3 | 2.4 ± 0.1 |
ANNUAL DRAIN | ||
Mean annual volume mortality and mean annual volume fellings computed over the last 5 years | ||
Total (Mio m³ per year) | Total per hectare (m³/ha per year) | |
Total | 10.2 ± 0.5 | 0.6 ± 0.03 |
Broadleaves | 6.8 ± 0.3 | 0.4 ± 0.02 |
Conifers | 3.5 ± 0.4 | 0.2 ± 0.02 |
DEAD WOOD | |
Standing (Mio m³) | Lying (Mio m³) |
Volume of standing trees with dbh >= 7.5 cm | Volume of lying trees or branches with dbh >= 2.5 cm |
111 ± 4.1 | 256 ± 6.9 |