The development of wood energy: a sustainable solution to the energy challenge?

Since 2009, France, speaking through its president, started a unprecedented policy of development of wood energy. To meet targets for reducing CO₂ emissions, renewable energy, foremost among which forest biomass, are known to be highly mobilized. Then, the harvest will be raised from 38 to 59 million m³ by 2020. Are these ambitions based on truly sustainable basis? Economically, it is clear that the potential of additional crops are far from obvious: the low elasticity of the supply curve makes it difficult to mobilize new sources. Possible tensions on supply are likely, especially with the pulpwood industry. From an environmental perspective, the risks of overexploitation are locally not excluded. Moreover, the carbon footprint of energy-wood is perhaps not as positive as advertised. In addition, the uncontrolled development of wood heating appliances can cause pollution of the air quality. The sector, characterized by an extreme fragmentation and a lack of integration between the upstream and downstream, hardly seems to be able to respond today to the challenges. In addition, guided by 'the price of peace', owners are often inclined not to exploit their forest. With these findings, this report proposes ways of thinking, as a better stimulation of the supply through targeted measures to promote the mobilization of resources. It favors a territorial approach to the problem through local tools and shared forestry development. Finally, he pleads for the systematic search for linkages and synergies among sectors, especially between the timber and energy-wood. (authors)