If there’s one hotly debated topic in French forests, it’s clear-cutting. This is the reason why the present scientific report has been commissioned. It addresses not only the issue of clear-cutting, but also that of forest renewal in the context of climate change, whether or not it is associated with clear-cutting. Natural regeneration is also considered.
The conclusions point to the effects of clear-cutting:
- on the physical and chemical environment: modification of the soil microclimate, risk of windthrow, erosion and rising water tables, potential loss of chemical fertility of the soil and loss of soil carbon;
- on biodiversity, making a distinction between :
- the impact of clear-cutting itself (on a landscape scale and on a more local scale on edges, riparian woodland, soil biodiversity, influence on wild ungulates, replacement habitats)
- the impact of sylvicultural works implemented after a clear-cut (soil preparation, planting versus regeneration).
The human, social and economic dimensions of clear-cutting are also addressed. Finally, the document lists the prospects for research into clear-cutting and forest renewal in the context of climate change.