Forest management
Being a forest owner is of course to own a forest but also to manage it.
I- The different ways of managing
The owner can take care of his estate himself or transfer its management to professionals, forest experts, forest cooperatives or independent forest technicians.
Management by the owner
The forest owner who manages his forest himself must have a sound knowledge of:
- Forestry
Knowledge of botany, supervision of forestry, planning of infrastructure work (tracks, skidding areas), management of cuttings, forest cuttings, forest upkeep and gardening…
- Legislation
Owner’s rights and duties, civil code, rural code, environment code, various regulations, establishing of a Simple Management Plan…
- Taxes
Knowledge of cadastral income, land property income, income tax, Wealth Tax, VAT, transfer taxes, transfer capital gain…
- Timber sale
Cubic content, buyer’s choice, negotiation, sales price…
- Cynegetic
Hunting plan, forestry orientated toward the protection and feeding of game…
Management by a forest expert
A skilled professional,, the forest expert can take care entirely or partly of your forestry holdings
He can draft the simple management plan and the mapping of your forest. He can instigate a manner of forestry adapted to the location, plan the cuttings, the upkeep, maintenence, pruning and works. He can apply for State subsidies in order to achieve infrastructure work; he can also carry out timber sales.
Some forest experts unite in an association in order to provide their customers with grouped sales by finding specific markets.
Management by a forest co-operative
Forest cooperatives, just as forest experts, can handle your forest management.
Another strength of a co-operative is to carry out group sales in bulk, which enables it to find specific markets sometimes hard to attain by individual forest owners.
Another advantage, just as in all co-operatives is pooling material, administrative and logistic resources.
In short, the method of management is particular to each forester according to his/her knowledge, availability and needs
II- Helping institutions in management
Institutions have been created to help private forest owners in the management of their forests.
- RCFP (Regional Centre of Forest Property)
The RCFP is a public institution managed by elected forest owners and elected members of national and regional development bodies. It aims at accompanying forest owners in their approach to durable management.
The RCFP advises forest owners in managing and forestry adapted to their forests, and gives them legal and tax advice.
It leads public briefing sessions; it participates in popularizing forest techniques, publishing magazines and documents, setting up regional schemes of forest management, approval of SMP, backing up the FOGEFOR ( = Forest Management Training) through its participation in training.
- FMT, Training for Forest Management
It is intended for all owners of wooded plots, even small ones. It was created as early as 1983 at the initiative of private forest institutions and agricultural partners. This institution, for a modest tax cost, aims at training private owners in forest management, forestry, taxation, forestry regulations, setting up a simple management scheme, timber sales techniques, hunting plans, wood cutting…
FMT is present in every of France region.
- Foresters’ Union
A Union whose main aim is to defend forest owners on departmental, regional and national levels.
It offers its members a “civil liability insurance” – forester-owner.
The Foresters’ Union is present in every region of France .
III- Forest Policy
*In France, forest policy comes under the remit of the State which ensures its national cohesion. The Careers’ Act about Forest on July 9, 2001 explains that forest policy by applying notions of durable, and multifunctional management
(taking economical, environmental and social functions into account).
(taking economical, environmental and social functions into account).
On regional levels, the Regional Direction of Agriculture and Forest as well as the Regional of Forest property are responsible for the setting up of documents on sustainable management. Documents such as the simple management plan, the code of good forest practices, the regulation type management, rely on a framework document, the Regional Forest Management Scheme.
The documents of durable management are compulsory:
- as regards the exploited area.
- to give a right to some tax breaks.
* The Regional Scheme of Forestry Management or RSFM
The RSFM describes the characteristics of the forest and timber industry, the great forest regions and the main types of plantings. It takes up again the stakes specified in the Forest Regional Careers and translates them in terms of recommendations, in connection with durable management in order to make use of private forests.
In this respect, it constitutes a reference document for the examination and approval of sustainable management documents.
* A sutainable management document : the Simple Scheme of Management
> It aims at assuring sustainable management of the forest by avoiding anarchical techniques prejudicial to the environment.
The SSM is an instrument which enables you to :
- know your woods better, thanks to a precise and detailed inventory of plantings.
- rationalize the management by planning the cuttings, forest work and infrastructure.
- record the previous management for successors.
- give a right to some tax breaks (Monichon Amendment)
> It is a dsustainable management document, compulsory for :
- private forests of over 25 ha belonging to one holder (the surface limits differ according to
regions).
- forests of over 10 ha belonging to one holder whose owner profits from public subsidies
(subsidies for the achievement of forest operations for instance)
> This document is established by the owner, or his representative for a period of 10 years at least
and 20 years at most. It has a personal aspect, which means that it cannot be imposed on a new
owner. But the latter is obliged to present one of his own, if his forest comes within the field of
application.
If a forest is not equipped with an SSM, the buyer must have one approved within a period of 5 years from the transfer date.
* The other documents of sustainable management
-Code of Forest Good Practices, CFGP
This is a document intended for small properties of less than 25 ha. It contains essential recommendations, in conformity with sustainable management. It is a simpler procedure than a SSM. The commitment is of 10 years and gives rights to certain tax breaks (DEF work, DEFI acquisition).
-RegulationType Management, RTM
The RTM is a framework document for forest co-operatives and experts. It must be approved by the RCFP.
The owner must commit himself to managing his property for 10 years in conformity with the RTM, if he wants his forest to be considered as a guarantee of sustainable management.
