[Skip to main content](#main-content) ![](https://img.ecotree.green/humans/team-ecotree/at-work/in-forest-09.jpg?d=128x128)What is close-to-nature forestry method? ======================================== Learn about our PRO SILVA approach to managing forests ------------------------------------------------------ Pézarches Forest, France ### How does EcoTree plant, maintain and cut trees? - - - - - #### Step 1 Our forest management plan is drawn up by our foresters with the help of an expert and submitted to the CRPF (Centre régional de la Propriété forestière) for validation. We develop these plans in close collaboration with regional bodies such as local town councils, environmental authorities, agencies, and so on, while also considering the input of local residents, farmers, and stakeholders, to ensure the forest meets ecological and community needs. ![ecotree members working in the syndicate forest](https://img.ecotree.green/humans/team-ecotree/at-work/in-syndicat-01.jpg?d=128x128) #### Step 2 As part of our close-to-nature forestry management, we either plant the selected tree species ourselves (artificial regeneration) or help them grow and establish naturally (natural regeneration). This addresses a well-documented problem in European forests: centuries of human management have left many of them with very low species diversity. [According to the European Commission, 75% of EU forests are even-aged and a third are dominated by a single species. ](https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/green-deal-new-guidelines-sustainable-forest-management-and-payment-schemes-forest-ecosystem-2023-07-27_en) Forests like this are less resilient to threats such as fires and pest outbreaks, and they store less carbon over time than mixed, diverse forests. ![](https://img.ecotree.green/flora/closeup/sprout-cedar-pont-de-buis-01.jpg?d=128x128) #### Step 3 We carry out annual maintenance around young saplings to prevent competing vegetation from hindering their growth. In more mature forests, we thin out selected trees (partitioning cuts) to give the remaining ones more light and space, keeping the forest healthy and diverse. This method follows [Closer to Nature and PRO SILVA principles](https://cdn.ecotree.green/documents/EN_Annual_Report_2023.pdf?_gl=1*rbtf67*_gcl_au*NDg5ODQ0OTMxLjE3NDY3MDE5MTY.*_ga*OTM2ODM0NDE1LjE3NDY3ODk1ODA.*_ga_RZER8Z0M37*czE3NDc5ODQ3MTckbzQzJGcxJHQxNzQ3OTg3NjQyJGo1NCRsMCRoMTQ4NTc1NTg2JGRSUGk5VFhPV0Vjd01DcmZnQkxWVl82ay1JTmJ6ZDhxNUxn), which aim to create resilient, mixed-species forests that support biodiversity, adapt to climate change, and store carbon over the long term, in line with the EU Forest Strategy and Green Deal objectives. ![](https://img.ecotree.green/flora/medium-shot/digger-field-work.jpg?d=128x128) #### Step 4 [Thinning](https://ecotree.green/en/why-we-harvest-trees) is carried out according to our close-to-nature forestry management plan, to give the best-positioned trees room to grow into the forest's future canopy. Done this way, thinning can improve biodiversity: removing some trees increases the light, water, and nutrients available to those left standing, which encourages diverse understory vegetation to grow. Selective removal like this also maintains structural diversity, supporting the mix of tree sizes and ages that's vital for forest health and ecosystem function. ![](https://img.ecotree.green/flora/closeup/thinning-pezarches-01.jpg?d=128x128) #### Step 5 Mature trees are harvested and sold as timber, with the profit going to their owners. In this irregular high-forest system, part of our close-to-nature forestry management, selective harvesting keeps the ground continuously covered, so soil is never left bare. Because the forest always holds trees of different ages and sizes side by side, [the soil stays protected, supporting continuous natural regeneration.](https://books.google.dk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gOQq4jcEvTQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=Conserving+forest+biodiversity:+a+comprehensive+multiscaled+approach&ots=PHYkt9cnlD&sig=BBxVQBZvliPhcjvojXrp1gVgTZM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Conserving%20forest%20biodiversity%3A%20a%20comprehensive%20multiscaled%20approach&f=false) ![](https://img.ecotree.green/flora/closeup/tree-cut-pezarches-01.jpg?d=128x128) [ Discover our forests ](https://ecotree.green/en/forest-ecosystems) ### Let's avoid clearcutting! Clear cuts have three major consequences. Soil erosion Soil contained and enriched by deep roots is suddenly exposed. Without protective litter and a supply of nutrients, it loses strength. Water starts to run off the soil, which is no longer aerated by roots and microorganisms. The erosion caused makes any form of natural regeneration or planting very difficult. Pioneer tree species may be possible, but they are the least interesting for biodiversity and producing wood. It takes a long time to recover a rich ecosystem after clearcutting. A change in climate Soil is one of the planet's main carbon reservoirs, along with oceans and forests. When soil is exposed by clearcutting, carbon previously stored in organic form is released into the atmosphere as CO2. That's just one reason land-use change and deforestation, including clearcutting, are responsible for an estimated 13–21% of global greenhouse gas emissions (IPCC, Sixth Assessment Report). Weakened biodiversity Clearcutting is a brutal and devastating disruption of a forest's ecosystem. For its birds, insects, mammals, fungi and plants, living without shelter and food quickly becomes impossible. They all need a stable environment to thrive and maintain the biodiversity these forests support. ### We encourage irregular high-forests and the mixing of species ### We encourage irregular high-forests and the mixing of species Some natural forests are dominated by a single species (beech forests are a common example), but these are exactly the kind of ecosystem that close-to-nature forestry management deliberately avoids recreating. Given the challenges of climate change, encouraging a diversity of species leads to more resilient forest ecosystems. As a result, pest and disease outbreaks cause less damage when they hit a mix of species rather than a single one. This also creates a wider range of economic opportunities for forestry operators, alongside richer biodiversity. Irregularisation is one of the silvicultural methods we use for this: it encourages trees of different ages to grow together, creating several canopy layers and age classes within the same forest, which supports biodiversity and resilience. It also means avoiding clearcutting at the end of the growing cycle. In some cases, though, a regular high-forest (even-aged, single canopy layer) is the better choice. Maritime pine is one example: it's well suited to poor soils, but very difficult to grow in irregular, mixed-age stands. In every case, our foresters work with nature rather than imposing theoretical silviculture on it: they accompany its processes rather than dictate them. Read moreRead less ![View of the Ploerdut forest.](https://img.ecotree.green/flora/ground-view/ploerdut-fr-02.jpg?d=128x128) ### No to pesticides and chemicals! We avoid the use of any pesticide or chemical product. Our saplings are protected: ![illustration](https://cdn.ecotree.green/img/wip/gestion-forestiere/cloture.png)We build fences that are not intended to remain longer than the few years necessary for the trees to be strong enough to resist wild game attacks. These fences surround the entire plantation, but they can also be individual protections, installed around each shrub. ![illustration](https://cdn.ecotree.green/img/wip/gestion-forestiere/haies.png)We develop dead or dry hedges – dead roots and branches that are long and thick enough to create an effective shelter or barrier. They often come from thinning or branches that fall by natural pruning. ![illustration](https://cdn.ecotree.green/img/wip/gestion-forestiere/trico.png)We use trico, a natural emulsified solution of sheep's fat that we put on the trees. The grease repels deer that would happily graze on our saplings. We do not use chemicals, which means some saplings may die within a year of being planted. That's why we always schedule one or two replanting phases to replace those saplings that do not survive. ### As reservoirs of biodiversity, the health of forests concerns us all Let's work together to make the forests more resilient and protecting biodiversity. #### How much CO2 does the forest sequester? On a global scale, forests store about 8 billion tons of CO2 annually. However, our global emissions were about 40.6 billion tons of CO2 in 2022, an increase of one percent compared to 2021. While forests act as carbon sinks, this alone cannot stop climate change. We must therefore combine close-to-nature forest management with a drastic reduction in our emissions. #### What is forest biodiversity? 80% of terrestrial biodiversity is housed in forests. Yet, according to the French Biodiversity Office, only 18% of forest ecosystems were well preserved between 2013 and 2018. Even if the number of tree species is increasing, there are still black spots in France: more than half of forest plants, 17% of forest birds and 7% of forest mammals are threatened. In addition, some forest habitats (alluvial forests, peat bogs, etc.) are in a poor state of preservation. The close-to-nature management of forests, with the aim of preserving biodiversity, is therefore a global and national issue. #### What is the commercial value of French forests? The commercial value of the total wood harvest of the French forests is estimated at nearly 3 billion euros. The forest also produces a multitude of other goods that represent several million euros of annual sales: mushrooms, chestnuts, honey, aromatic plants, fodder, cork... The production of timber, industrial wood and energy wood is essential to the ecological transition. Our forest management is part of this dynamic that reconciles economy and ecology. #### What is the surface area of French forests? The French forest covers about one third of the French territory (17 million hectares). It is a reservoir of diverse species but also a place of reception of the public. Forests are part of our living heritage. They shape our landscapes and our history. Populations world-wide have a very strong link with their forests. Forests are also a place to raise awareness of the current climate change. This is why we are setting up educational trails in some of our forests. ### Added. You're supporting Europe's forests Together with 100,000+ tree owners across the globe [ Give it as a gift ](https://ecotree.green/en/give-a-gift) [ Go to cart ](https://ecotree.green/en/basket) Continue shopping