Marketing of State Forest Windthrows - Some Innovative Methods. ; La Commercialisation des chablis dans les forêts publiques : résultats et enseignements

Abstract

Just after the storm, the volumes of windthrows in state forests were roughly estimated to be 45 million cubic metres of which 30 million cubic metres were fit to be marketed. Eventually the figures turned out to be slightly higher with 33.6 million cubic metres sold in 2000 and 2001, at an average price 35 to 40 % below the 1999 price. The French Forestry Board's marketing strategy was based on a number of principles :; staggering the arrival of timber on the market and spreading it out geographically. Several mechanisms were devised for freezing sales or postponing felling of undamaged stands. Transportation and storage of timber were organised in accordance with the government relief program ;; private sales of windthrows using rates established under overall negotiated agreements for as long as supply is very much in excess of demand and return to the competitive system when supply and demand are better aligned ;; adapting the board's internal organisation to these new operations by hiring additional staff in the hard hit areas and establishing a network of specialised support. With two years hindsight, this approach has produced significantly better results than forecasted both in terms of the volumes marketed and the average prices obtained, in spite of the economic downturn in that period. On the other hand, internal difficulties were probably underestimated from the outset, which has made some departments extremely vulnerable. Further investigations are required to assess the actual economic effect of measures relating to exports, transportation and storage as compared to the outlay of resources. ; Les volumes de chablis en forêts publiques, évalués sommairement dans les jours qui ont suivi la tempête à 45 Mm3 dont 30 Mm3 commercialisables, ont été finalement un peu supérieurs : 33,6 Mm3 ont été vendus en 2000 et 2001, à un prix moyen inférieur de 35 à 40 % à celui de 1999. La stratégie commerciale appliquée par l'Office reposait sur plusieurs idées :; étaler dans le temps et dans l'espace l'afflux ...