French forests face declining carbon sequestration capacity

The capacity of French forests to act as a carbon sink is declining significantly due to the cumulative effects of climate change. According to data from the Institut national de l'information géographique et forestière (IGN), the average annual CO2 absorption dropped from 63 million tonnes between 2005 and 2013 to 39 million tonnes during the 2014–2022 period.

While the total forest area in France is expanding—reaching 17.6 million hectares in 2024 and covering 32% of the territory—this growth masks a severe decline in forest vitality. Tree mortality has increased by 125% over the last decade, driven by repeated droughts, heatwaves, and extreme weather events.

Biological threats are also escalating, with the surface area affected by insect pests, fungi, and nematodes increasing by 175% since 2015. Notably, bark beetles ravaged nearly 100,000 hectares of spruce between 2018 and 2023. In some northeastern regions, tree mortality and harvesting rates have begun to exceed biological production.