Bourgogne Franche-Comté – A vibrant wood-based economy
The forests of Bourgogne Franche-Comté are plentiful, with a rich variety of species. This new region is made up of the older provinces of Bourgogne and Franche-Comté, two areas marked by their array of different tree species.
The Bourgogne Franche-Comté forest region is thus a naturally auspicious region for a vibrant wood-based economy. Lying between Paris and Switzerland, not far from Germany, this forested region is particularly attractive, especially with its forests on the international borders.
Highly sought-after sectors
Dôle, Montbéliard, Pontarlier and the Territoire de Belfort are all highly sought-after, most notably by Swiss investors looking for a forest near the border. In these sectors, as in the area around Vesoul, Besançon, Dôle and Lons-le Saulnier, the forest covers an extensive area – and is growing! There is talk of an extra 500 hectares per year.
In a region thought to be one of the most wooded in France, the economy is thriving. The production forest provides very high-quality lumber used in the French cabinetwork sector.
Wood has always been harvested here, where the forest is a dense as it is dynamic! Some traditional craft professions are still practiced here: you will find, for example, instrument makers, toy makers and clock makers. The town of Pontarlier is still home to the largest softwood market in France.
The forests of Bourgogne Franche-Comté are mainly made up of deciduous trees.
They are best known for their oak and alder forests. In the area from Dijon to Chalon-sur-Saône, taking in Auxerre and Nevers, the climate, the Atlantic influences from the west, and continental influences from the east, favor of variety of high-quality soils. In this outstanding terroir, which produces vines of international repute, the forest is one of the best quality of all French regions.
It is a land of oak with, for example, the forest of Bertranges: this is the second largest productive oak forest in France, after the Tronçais!
Conifers grow in the Morvan forest region, on the borders of the Côte d’Or, Yonne, Saône-et-Loire and Nièvre. This corner of Bourgogne Franche-Comté is also home to one of the finest French forest areas for softwood production, including the Douglas fir.
Who buys forests in Bourgogne Franche-Comté?
The forests of Bourgogne Franche-Comté are truly outstanding. In certain sectors, buyers come from the local market, but in a large part of the region, they also come from abroad. This is a region where forests are rarely acquired in line with the actual price of the standing timber, but the property investment is surely one of the best on the French forest market.
Buying in Bourgogne Franche-Comté is a very sound investment because the region offers a wide variety of species, an ideal climate for lumber production and an excellent geographic location.
Economic view
The difference in stands, volume and the quality of trees explains the wide range of sale prices. Only an accurate valuation of the forest plot can give you a real idea of the price of your forest in Bourgogne Franche Comté.
Forêt Investissement provides this appraisal as part of a FNAIM exclusive sales mandate.