Collecting and using data on forest soils

To combat climate change, the French policy for the development of renewable energy(1) gives pride of place to solid biomass and forest wood production. Wood production and harvesting should increase in the coming years, causing more damage to forest soils. After the Grenelle de l’Environnement (government sponsored round table discussing the environment and sustainable development), the wood industry representatives agreed on the aim of “producing more wood while better preserving biodiversity”, in particular “ordinary biodiversity that is involved in and supports production processes” and “optimizing resources and harvests” (FNE et al., 2007). At the same time, the soil usage and management must not harm the many ecological services provided by the forest ecosystems: storage and regulation of water flows, storage of carbon and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, etc.