Overview
- Canopée published a report Monday, June 29, 2026 that combined Citepa monitoring data and policy analysis to sound the alarm about shrinking forest carbon uptake in France.
- Official Citepa figures show the amount of carbon absorbed by French forests has fallen by more than half since the early 2000s, driven by higher tree mortality and slower growth linked to climate stress.
- Canopée says increased harvesting is a major cause and highlights that the SNBC 3 draft would raise removals by about 7 million cubic meters by 2030, a rise the NGO frames as more than 13 percent.
- Using its calculations, Canopée estimates the proposed harvest increase would weaken the forest sink by roughly 11 million tonnes of CO2 per year and urges cuts to harvests and a freeze on industrial projects that add pressure to forests.
- The report sets up a policy clash between the government’s plan to supply wood for bioenergy and low‑carbon products and conservation groups pushing to protect long‑term biological carbon storage that underpins France’s 2050 neutrality goal.