Forest management is fundamental to activate the capture of CO2 and thus mitigate climate change impacts, and to adapt the forests to new climate conditions.
OpenForêt provides high-tech online services, which help passive private forests owners to become active managers without a specific knowledge in forest management. This is done by evaluating their standing trees wood stock, teach them how to earn money by selling wood and make forest owners understand the positive ecological effects of wood cutting and replanting by new species more adapted to climate change.
Benefits for the economy, employment and climate
A quarter of European lands are occupied by forests, often owned by private owners. About half of European private forests are left unexploited, while they could provide materials to the industry (wood manufacture, timber, firewood, biomass). In France, about 3.5 million persons are passive forest owners. Under-exploitation of forests causes:
- A big lack of material for the industry: the deficit of the wood sector commercial balance reaches 6 billions euros per year.
- The accumulation of wood stock in the forests, which presents potential ecological risks: CO2 release in case of storm, fires and dieback of trees.
OpenForêt encourages the passive forests owners to reach the market, to meet the needs of the operating companies and the industry for millions of m3 of lacking wood, to the benefits of the economy, employment and climate.