Summary

French rural areas use a tool known as a Territorial supply plan (Plan d’ approvisionnement territorial – PAT) to develop and coordinate knowledge about opportunities from woodland areas. One such PAT was co-financed by the Lorraine region’s Pays du Barrois LEADER LAG, which operates in a heavily forested area. Goals for the Pays du Barrois PAT focused on providing decision-makers (local politicians, forest planners etc.) with an up-to-date and detailed picture that covered the territory’s forest resources. This would be used to help better inform the way the area’s development plans were implemented. PAT content was prepared by specialists who collated data covering the quality and quantity of different types of wood stocks in different locations, as well as different options for harvesting, extracting and commercialising the territory’s various timber reserves. Other possibilities for improving the processing capacities of local timbers mills were also investigated and scenarios were devised to contract supplies of forest biomass for energy use in wood fuel boilers.

Results

The PAT took account of the forests’ multifunctional purposes and presented an action plan that successfully balanced the interests of differing user groups.

Outcomes gave authorities a much better understanding about the potential demand for forest products from their area. New data were gathered to help determine the logistics of mobilising unused timber reserves.

The PAT provided financial figures estimating overall costs involved in extracting wood. This included expenditures required to purchase specialised machinery and build access roads in forests, etc.

All PAT content sought to respect forests’ biodiversity habitats, productivity cycles, and recreational usage by both local residents and tourists.