Summary
• France’s sawn oak output is twice Germany’s.
• Oak accounts for about a quarter of France’s forests.
• Around 1 million m³ of sawn oak is produced each year.
• Much of France’s forest is PEFC certified.

“France has the largest oak reserves in Europe,” says René Maechler, director of the Scierie Maechler mill in eastern France, and vice-president of the European Organisation of the Sawmills Industry (EOS), so someone well qualified to talk on the topic.

The latest statistics bear him out, and as well as its oak forests outstripping all other European countries’, it’s well ahead in sawn oak output too, producing twice as much as its nearest competitor, Germany.

France boasts nearly 17 million ha of forest land, much of which is PEFC certified. The state-owned forests, which provide most of France’s oak, are all accredited under the scheme, as are many public and private owned forests.

Oak accounts for about a quarter of the forests in France, representing a surface area of more than 4 million ha. And the French annual oak harvest of nearly 3 million m³ of logs per year equates to the harvest of all the rest of Europe combined.

On average French oak forests also grow by 6m³/ha per year, while harvesting is less than half of this standing volume capital. This gives an idea of the potential of the current resources available and the prospects for the future of the French industry.

A small proportion of sawn logs and other peeler logs are exported without being processed, with the rest supplying national sawmills. Out of the 2,000 sawmills operating in France, around 40% work with hardwood and concentrate on oak as their most valuable resource. These sawmills produce almost 1 million m³ of sawn oak timber per year – a production figure which has been stable for the past 10 years.

In addition to sawn timber, graded to European appearance grading standard EN975-1, sliced veneer, wine barrels and boules are among the oak products available for export, as is square-edged oak for the manufacturer looking for a more standardised product.

Available in all dimensions and a range of qualities, French square-edge oak is “ideal for kitchens and wooden flooring, particularly in large widths”, according to Mr Maechler.

One of France’s most iconic products is the oak boule (or “plot”, in French). Boules are made of sawn boards that are reconstituted into the original shape of the log, with each of the planks separated by non-staining spacer sticks.

Mutelet, also in eastern France, is among the many producers. “We source our logs from the best forests in the Valley of the Saône and Burgundy which have highly renowned oak vintages from which we manufacture top quality boules,” said owner Henri Mutelet.

Mutelet is one of a few sawmills that saws the slicing quality usually intended for the production of veneer. Because of this, the boules produced are exceptional quality, but are only available in relatively small quantities – not more than 5% of the total volume of oak harvested in France. They have minimum diameters of 55cm, lengths of 3.5m or more, very good straightness and few knots.

“Boules come in large widths and lengths, allowing the user to achieve very high material yields when processing,” said Mr Mutelet. “In addition, as all the sawn timber comes from the same log, the wood is perfectly homogenous in terms of grain and colour. The boule is therefore intended for premium quality applications such as furniture, renovation, fittings, stairs, doors, windows and wooden floors. It really is one of French oak’s truly noble products.”