Wildfires 2026: French forests facing a shift in scale

Following a summer marked by fires of unprecedented scale and duration, France Bois Forêt reviews the consequences of this crisis and the measures needed to build a more resilient forest.

The fires of summer 2026 represent a significant shift in scale. Their intensity, duration, and geographic spread confirm that fire risk is becoming a structural factor for an increasing portion of French forests. Areas previously at low risk are now affected, and fire seasons are lengthening. Consequently, fire risk must be fully integrated into forest adaptation strategies, alongside threats such as drought, forest decline, and sanitary crises. By calling for the "replanting and rebuilding of a different kind of forest," the President of the Republic has launched a vital initiative: adapting forests to future climatic conditions while preserving their environmental, economic, and societal functions. This entails, in particular, enhanced forest fire protection measures, such as larger and better-maintained firebreaks, increased brush clearing, and the simplification of legal brush-clearing obligations. Prevention efforts must also rely on land-use planning and public awareness. However, rebuilding a different kind of forest requires, above all, making choices tailored to each specific region. Research and science must guide silvicultural decisions, taking into account the resilience of forest stands against drought, pests, and diseases, while maintaining ecological balance. This approach aligns with the guidelines of the National Low-Carbon Strategy 3 (SNBC 3), which identifies the restoration of the forest carbon sink as a prerequisite for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

What are the economic impacts of the fires on forest owners and the industry?

For forest owners, the primary impact is the destruction of capital built up over decades. Stands that have been carefully managed for years can vanish in a matter of hours. Added to this loss are the immediate drop in revenue and the long-term costs of rehabilitating the plots and replanting the destroyed stands.

For companies in the sector, the challenge is different: they must handle a sudden influx of timber that needs to be harvested and processed within very tight timeframes. Logistical hurdles and the risk of market saturation make a rapid, coordinated response essential.

We must therefore make the best possible use of the salvageable timber by mobilizing the entire supply chain, from harvesting to processing. This is a challenge we had already identified in the scenario developed with Carbone 4: when facing crises, anticipation is key to avoiding simply being at their mercy. In the medium term, the priority will be to restore the affected forest areas and ensure a sustainable timber resource. This is crucial for safeguarding economic activity and jobs in the regions concerned.

How can French forests be adapted to climate pressures?

Droughts, forest decline, wildfires, and health crises are occurring in rapid succession and can now compound one another. There is no single model for the forest of the future. Changes in tree species, as well as the diversification and mixing of stands, must be tailored to specific regions, site conditions, and risk levels. Two complementary approaches exist: natural regeneration—wherever possible and provided the species remain suited to future conditions—and planting or enrichment, when stand renewal or adaptation requires it. The stakes are high: the *Objectif Forêt* report estimates that approximately 10% of forest areas in mainland France will require active human intervention over the next decade.

Production, preservation, and adaptation: are these three goals compatible?

Yes. Meeting human needs, protecting and regenerating ecosystems, and combating climate change are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, this constitutes the very definition of multifunctional forest management.

Forest management is an integral part of the response to climate change. Managing, renewing, and harvesting forests enables stands to adapt to future conditions. It is therefore essential to better explain that timber harvesting and forest longevity are not contradictory; rather, they are part of the same process of adaptation.

However, this transformation comes at a cost. Forest renewal requires long-term funding that neither forest owners nor the industry can shoulder alone. Forests provide society with essential services—carbon storage, biodiversity, protection of soil and the water cycle, and landscape diversity—that justify a sustained commitment from public authorities and society as a whole.

What will French forests look like in 2050?

They will likely no longer be the forests we know today—just as today’s forests differ from those of the last century, which covered only half the current area. Climate change, forest decline, and a succession of crises will permanently alter forest stands and available resources. It is our responsibility to guide this transformation through active management, organized renewal, and adaptation strategies tailored to each specific region.

Our "convergence scenario," developed with the support of Carbone 4, anticipated the continuation—or even worsening—of climate-related crises and called for a rapid scaling-up of adaptation efforts.

This transformation must go hand in hand with expanding the uses of wood—particularly for material applications and long-lived products—which directly contribute to decarbonizing the economy.

The priorities are now clear: securing long-term funding for forest renewal, removing barriers to forest management and timber harvesting, planning for the management of timber resulting from crises, and continuing investment in processing facilities. Our goal is a resilient, multifunctional forest by 2050, capable of sustainably producing the resources needed for a decarbonized economy.