The French department of Dordogne is covered by 400 000 ha of fragmented forest. In almost one century the forest has doubled in surface area, mainly as a consequence of rural depopulation. Ancient rural land uses left their mark in the present wooded landscape.
Approximatively 99 % of the forest area belongs to private landowners. The average size of property is less than 4 ha. The main species in the Dordogne forest are chestnut, maritime pine and oaks.
Silvicultural systems include coppice of chestnut that can be mixed with some pine or oaks standards. The coppice felling cycle for chestnut is about 30 years. Annual harvest is about 328 000 m³ roundwood. It is mainly used for furniture, panels, paper-mill, post, and firewood.

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French poplar plantations cover more than 238 000 hectares. The Aquitaine poplar area represents 12% of the total area of poplars in France, and are found in two departments : Lot et Garonne and Gironde. Poplar plantation are mostly privately owned. They represent 3% of the total area of Aquitaine forested area and produce about 108 000 m2 per annum. This represents almost 30% of total hardwood production of the region. Most poplar wood is used in packaging because of the close proximity of strong market-gardening activity. Forestry practises are characterized by the use of three main clones I-214, I-45/51 and Dorskamp. On good lands, the final cut can be done in the 15th year of the rotation. Now, poplar producers are seeking a greater diversity in the cultivars and age classes to reduce phytosanitary risks. They also have to take care of environment, mainly in wetlands.

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Maritime Pine forest is mostly present in the " Landes de Gascogne " and today covers nearly 860 000 ha.
Established in the middle of the XIXth century in order to make this vast marshy area more habitable, this forest is now dedicated to the production of wood for construction and pulp. The pine forest is managed in a sustainable way, mostly by private forest-owners using modern silvicultural methods.
The annual harvest is about 8 100 000 m3 . This represents 86% of the total maritime pine harvest in Aquitaine and almost 24% of France total harvest. Maritime pine logs provide prime material for an important industry based on saw milling and pulp milling. Over the past 50 years several methods of monitoring have been developed to ensure that the risks of insect, fire and climate damage are minimal.
The forest of the "Landes de Gascogne" were extensively damaged during the severe storms of December of 1999. Apart from the considerable damage (about 28 millions cubic meters for maritime pine), significant changes were introduced into markets, available wood resource, etc. Although the main objective of this forest is wood production it also provides benefits such as soil and water protection or leisure activities.

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