Conseil National du Peuplier
Conseil National du Peuplier
Siège social : I.D.F. - 23 avenue Bosquet -
75007 Paris
e-mail :
Speech
of M. Philippe de Boissieu
Président of the National Poplar Council - France
Meeting
for the Future of Forests in Europa
Scientific cooperation (COST 28) - May 19 th 2005 - Engref Paris
Presentation
of the French National Poplar Council with an analysis of political, technical
and economical locks to poplar development in France
Let me introduce you to the “Conseil
National du Peuplier” (French National Poplar Council) which replaced recently
the old “Commission Nationale du Peuplier” (French National Poplar
Commission).
This old CNP (la
CNP) disappeared recently by a governmental decision I won’t comment.
This change had a positive effect on
the structuration of professionals interested in poplar: creation of the new CNP
(le CNP).
How is this new CNP organized?
3 groups participate into this
structure.
-The group of poplar producers, with
delegates from the Federation of Trade-Unions of Forest Owners and from the
National Centre of Private Forest Property.
-The Union of cooperatives, the
Institute for Forest Development, Experts of Regional poplar farmers
associations (Aquitaine, Poitou-Charentes, Pays de Loire and Region Centre).
-The group of plant producers and
forest workers including delegates from horticulturers and from the National
Union of Forest Professionals and forest planters.
The group of wood transformers, Trade
Union of French Poplar and Trade Union of Light Packing.
Two representatives from each Trade
Union are nominated to the CNP and the presidency is successively ensured by one
of them.
The CNP aims to develop Poplar by:
-
contributing to the adaptation of
poplar plantation management to scientific, technology, economic, environmental
and social evolutions,
-
-Contributing to the durable
management of poplar plantations and reducing the green house effect,
-
contributing to the development of
the production, harvest, transformation and selling of poplars and their
products as well as adapting products to the demand,
-
providing informations to promote
poplar at the public decision level,
-
participating to every programme
promoting the plantation, transformation and selling of poplar in France and
especially developing the economical activity in rural areas,
-
establishing cooperations with
research institutes especially, INRA, AFOCEL, CEMAGREF and CTBA.
The
fast creation of this new CNP proves that many people in France still believe in
poplar and its culture.
How
is structured the poplar chain in France presently?
180,000
private owners represent 240,000 hectares (ha) for culture of poplar. It
produces yearly between 1,800,000 and 2,000,000 m3 of wood.
Many
of them know of to manage their plantations. They know how to associate
cultivars and growing stations to maximize productivity.More than 80 specialized
nursery gardeners, often close to their plantations, provide quality poplar
plants. Poplar planters can also find help from technicians of Unions of private
owners to share results of experimental plantations. Methods of plantation and
growing of poplars are now well known and the associated costs well controlled.
Many planters will prune on time to improve wood production.
From
this first part, we can conclude that:
-
the poplar produce high quality
timbers with rotations between 15 and 20 years,
-
more wood is used by reducing the
core diameter from 12cm to 7cm,
-
the use of juvenile wood, clear
white colour, improves the quality of packing and satisfies the customer
expectations.
Everything
would be perfect if there were not some locks in the poplar chain limiting its
development or even reducing its importance. Those locks are located at three
different levels: political, technical and economical. The first one being the
most important because it determines in many cases the two others.
First
a simple report: the poplar is not well accepted nowadays in France.
The
suppression of the former CNP by the government is a first indicator.
The
increase of the price of railway transport and the suppression of many wood
parks without dialogue with producers is a second indicator. This leads to a
decrease of exportation of wood which is an important part of the activity of
poplar chain. Maybe it was necessary, but instead of other products, nothing has
been done to preserve some important markets such as the Italian market.
Numerous
administrative regulations came to complicate the plantation or the maintenance
in humid areas: the prevention plans for flooding risks have been studied
without dialogue with the poplar practitioners.
The
effort of plantation on unused agricultural lands was not supported further. In
many cases these lands could fit the polar culture requirements and could help
depollution by the poplar filtration capacity.
Many
other examples could be provided where this annoying state of mind hinders
poplar culture. I will not develop more to save your time.
The
consequence of all this is naturally a technical limitation of the poplar chain
by insufficient means and facilitations which could be provided by public
decisions.
Poplar
planters always need new informations. New cultivars are produced, reforesting
unused agricultural lands need to develop knowledge on how to grow poplars in
new areas, and young forest owners need to be trained in new techniques. All
this requires personals and money is lacking.
Poplar
nurserers, planters and industrials need to rely on good research centres. The
present situation and the future we can foresee do not provide good indicators
to satisfy these needs. Analysing the situation in foreign countries do not
dissipate this concern.
Actually,
we notice that many approved cultivars are not new obtentions, but are the
result of old works dating many years back. This is not necessarily a source of
progression.
Third
lock is the economical level.
The
industrials have problems to keep their market competitive, in consequence the
poplar producers have problems to sell their wood, and finally the nurserers
cannot sell their plants.
Causes
to explain theses problems are numerous.
First
of all there is a concurrence of the plastic. It is important in the packing
activity, either traditional packing of food packing.
Fortunately,
studies are in progress which shows that wood packing is superior to plastic for
conservation of many food products. But lacking budget, it is difficult to have
a convincing communication towards the users.
Recycling
of poplar packing is difficult; this also leads users to look for other
materials.
If
the energy wood chain develops, maybe we will have an opportunity to recycle
used packings with a financial help from the public decision makers.
Due
to the slow down of the market we can see presently, the plantations are getting
old. We could look for new uses fro these older poplars. Some studies are
running but they need more funding for industrial valorization.
The
structure of the private property of poplar plantations leads to the marketing
of relatively small batches of wood which were originally transformed by local
industrials. This market disappeared, we have to improve the grouping of wood
batches to interest bigger industrial groups.
I
would not like to end this speech with pessimistic considerations.
I
am persuaded that poplar still has a future in France, which justifies the
action of the new CNP.
One
notes that with some budgetary helps, we could easily reduce some locks without
spending much public money. Presently, the poplar chain receives no public money
for structuration whereas other sectors of activity receive 30% of public money.
We
have a poplar chain composed of quality people ensuring a conservation of the
rural areas which is required.
We
have a product which can be easily industrialized, compared to many others.
Meeting
for the Future of Forests in Europa
Scientific
cooperation (COST 28) - May 19 th 2005 - Engref Paris
Point
of vue of an association of poplar planters
On
the future of poplar culture inFrance
speech
of
Mr Dominique MEESE – Président of the association « Peupliers du Centre
– Val de Loire »
I
represent an association of private poplar planters in the « Region Centre »
of France. We worry about the
future and we address many questions:
The
lack of variety diversity and the climate change are factors enhancing
appearance of diseases and insects. We have been deeply impacted by rust (melampsora larici populina) on poplars Luisa Avanzo, beaupré and
Boelare since 1994. There is a strong trend to go back on euramerican cultivars
risking to develop Marssonina brunea and the bacterial canker. Rain deficit and
temperature increase can enhance appearance of Dothichiza and insect attacks on
poplars. Although our nurserers propose about 15 different cultivars and
research institutes select regularly new cultivars, a limited panel of 4 to 5
cultivars are more planted than others following the industrial demand.
The
environmental stresses:
Preserving
the environment is a good thing we support. But too much environment risks to
kill environment. We are overflowed by regulations forbidding or limiting poplar
culture, in the name of diversity and landscape preservations. The humid areas
hosting traditionally poplars are discussed and proposed to be replaced by
grasslands with plants and birds protection. The governmental rules applied in
the areas with high flooding risks became super-principles of precaution without
any scientific bases. We don’t want trees anymore in the corridors of
evacuation of water from river risings without asking what can stop the flow out
of the catchments area and how the ground water regenerates.
Global
warming and greenhouse effect:
Since
few times, we are informed of a global warming. Are our poplars adapted to a
several degrees increase in ambient temperature? How will they adapt at the same
time to a decrease in rainfalls? Researchers should put their efforts on
cultivars which will adapt to these new environmental conditions.
About
the greenhouse effect: will our poplar plantations be considered as carbon sinks
by the European authorities?
Eco-certification
of European forests:
Will
the PEFC eco-certification, to which we fully adhere, be a limiting factor for
us facing the introduction of Russian ash-trees and GMOs dispersed in the nature
by China without controls?
Recycling
and bio-energy:
Chips
of wood, either from ligh packings of from unused branches of forest
exploitation, state a problem of recycling at the national level. The
development of boilers supplied with wood chips is examined, but it is not
certain that foresters will be able to gain financial benefits from this.
These
questions result from our concerns for the future of poplar culture in France.
The alliance of foresters, industrials and scientists seems very important to
prepare the future in an Europe which will require, from our point of vue, at
least 15 years to level up the commercial networks, the environmental and social
pressure between members.
