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On the carbon side, an interesting article from Le Monde on the state of forests in France:


[...] Enfin de bonnes nouvelles pour l'ONF ! Chargé de valoriser les forêts domaniales et communales, il commercialise 14 millions de m3 de bois, soit 45 % de la production française.

La France possède le troisième massif forestier d'Europe. Il couvre 29 % du territoire et s'accroît tous les sept ans de l'équivalent de la superficie de la Marne. Une richesse économique (et écologique) au moment où l'ONU dénonce "le rythme alarmant" (9,5 millions d'hectares par an) du déboisement des régions tropicales.

La Marne is 8 162 km² according to wikipedia, France is  675 417 km², so that's +1.2% every 7 year.

by Laurent GUERBY on Sat Sep 16th, 2006 at 01:25:54 PM EST
Europe's forests are 40% bigger than a century ago. Forests are not endangered in Europe, and could indeed be sustainably harvested to a much larger extent than today.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Sat Sep 16th, 2006 at 01:37:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
France is 550 000 km2


Le massif forestier représente à lui seul 27 % du territoire et constitue le 3ème massif de l'Union européenne après ceux de Suède et de Finlande. La superficie de la forêt française a progressé de 35 % depuis 1945 et doublé en 200 ans.

Forest surface, now 27% of French territory, has increased by 35% since 1945 and doubled in 2 centuries.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Sat Sep 16th, 2006 at 02:03:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
550e3 km2 that's for "France métropolitaine".

French Guyana has lots of forest :) but I think you're right, the article ratio is for France métropolitaine indeed.

As usual wikipedia has more, 166e3 km2 of forest (30% of 550e3). Interestingly:


Les peupleraies qui occupent environ 30 000 km² ne sont pas considérées comme des forêts, et sont incluses dans la surface agricole.

So that makes 166+30 = 196 = 35.6% of surface.

Lots of the total is privately owned (~ 70%), but it looks like use and planning is controlled.

French Guyana has 77e3 km2 of primeval forest.

by Laurent GUERBY on Sat Sep 16th, 2006 at 02:42:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Guyana forests for the Guyana people!

Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. — Euripides
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sat Sep 16th, 2006 at 02:51:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Drilling into wikipedia, sustainable production of heating wood (leaving other wood use constant) in France is estimated at 100e3 TEP (Ton-eq-petrol, energy equivalence), a TEP is 7.33 barrel or 11.6e3 kWh.

I let Jerome comment on wether it's significant or not in the big picture :).

by Laurent GUERBY on Sat Sep 16th, 2006 at 03:08:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Smoke from the burning of wood is full of pollutants and carcinogens. Not a real alternative to oil, gas, or coal.

Share. Share resources, share delight, share burdens, share the healing. If we only could realize that sharing will bring us back from mass suicide.
by Isis on Sun Sep 17th, 2006 at 11:55:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Wikipedia mentions this, but also mentions that progress has been made to reduce pollutant emissions.

Do you have more information?

by Laurent GUERBY on Mon Sep 18th, 2006 at 06:39:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
you can use catalytic afterburners in wood stoves.  Cuts down on the tars and ugly long chain molecules.  You still get a lot of CO2 up the stack.  Cellulose has a lot of carbon and not much hydrogen.

And you better have a well maintained flue.  High temps and a leaky chimney means you get to run out in the night in your jammies while your house burns down.

I once f/ed up and put a box in my wood stove that had some motor oil spilled on it.  The flue was glowing red while we crossed fingers and hoped the roof didn't catch fire.

by HiD on Tue Sep 19th, 2006 at 04:55:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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