Code forest

The forest code is a work aiming at regulating the exploitation of the Forêt S in France.

History

In 1291, Philippe Beautiful the creates the administration of National Forestry Commission but until the 14th century, the French forests was exploited without any regulation. At the time, the Bois is used mainly to be heated but with the increase in population, the wood reserves start to drop. So much so that in 1346, Philippe de Valois founds the first forest code.

In spite of this first code, in 1520, the forest represents nothing any more but 25 % of the national territory. With the 17th century, Colbert and Louis XIV needs wood for constructions of houses and boats. Of 1661 with 1669, a new code is elaborate aiming to reorganize the forestry undertaking and to ensure perenniality of it.

In spite of these measurements, in 1827, at the dawn of the industrial revolution, the forest constitutes nothing any more but 16 % of the French territory and a new code is promulgated which restricts the rights of use of the peasants on the forests and which starts in particular the “Guerre of the Young ladies” in Ariège (1829 - 1830). As testifies some Daniel Peter in his work Naître to live and die in addition to Forêt (p. 254), this new code “indeed deprives a certain number of inhabitants of deadwood for the heating, dead sheets used for the animals in the cattle sheds or like manure, of heathers and brooms which serve of fodder, the pasturage for the cattle and the gathering of bays and wild fruits and mushrooms” .

At the 20th century, the law of the May 8th 1951 (law 51-516 relating to the procedure of coding of the legislative texts concerning the forests) clarifies the code of 1827 “other than any basic modification”, specifies article 2, to compile all the texts there governing the forest. Decree 52-1200 of the October 29th 1952 bearing coding of the legislative texts concerning the forest thus constitutes the most important rehandling since 1827, by widening the subjects covered by the code.

A second notable modifying decree (decree n°79-113 of the January 25th 1979) intervened in particular to modernize the system of classification which did not change since. Only basic modifications intervene regularly because the questions of the forest remains major for France and beyond that.

Situation of the forest in France

Nowadays, the main forests cover 27 % of the territory French. They are composed in particular of 120.000 km ² of public forests including 44.000 km ² in Metropolitan France and 76.000 km ² in the overseas departments, essentially in French Guiana.

The Guyana, French area of overseas vast of: 91000 km ² (1/6e of the metropolitan territory) is covered with 96 % of forest, is: 87360 primary km ² of forest for the majority. This forest area par excellence is equipped with a forest code since the ordinance n° 2005-867 of July 28th, 2005 relating to the actualization and the adaptation of the domanial right, the land right and the forest right applicable in Guyana. Before 2005, only the civil code was applicable in the Guianese forests, leaving room to many gaps in the law.

See too

National office of the forests

External bonds

the forest code into force
the forest code of 1992
Little story of the forest administration and the private owners

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