French forest protection group Canopee warns that the country's forests are losing their ability to absorb carbon, with absorption falling by more than half since the early 2000s. The NGO says this decline could jeopardize France's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Canopee attributes the drop to higher tree mortality, slower growth from climate change, and increased logging. It criticizes the draft National Low-Carbon Strategy for planning a 13% increase in timber harvesting by 2030, which it says would reduce annual carbon absorption by around 11 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The report calls for limiting annual harvesting to 50 million cubic meters and redirecting support away from wood used for energy toward practices that protect ecosystems and produce construction timber. The story highlights a growing tension between bioenergy demand and forest carbon storage.
