On June 15, the National Centre for Forest Property of Nouvelle-Aquitaine held a day of associative dynamism for resin forest owners. It was the first step for the implementation of a pilot project of forestry association in France. This initiative is carried out within the framework of the European project SustForest Plus (collaboration between French, Spanish and Portuguese partners). The project SustForest Plus will be developed over the next three years under the leadership of the Cesefor Foundation, and co-financed by the transnational cooperation program of the European Union Interreg V B Sudoe
At the conference held in Biscarrosse (region of French Landes), the participants were the company Holiste, partner of the SustForest Plus project, the Groupement de Productivité Forestière (GPF) of Lot-et-Garonne, and the Centre de Productivité Forestière d 'Aquitaine. Throughout the information sessions, the latest progress in research related to the exploitation of maritime pine resin in Nouvelle-Aquitaine was presented.
The meeting brought together thirty-four people, mostly forestry experts and forest owners members of several forestry associations and the French resin sector: the GPF Lot-et-Garonne, a Free Trade Union Association and the association Gemme la Forêt d'Aquitaine.
During the morning session, the European project SustForest Plus, the planned transnational cooperation activities and the actions to be carried out in the French territory were presented. In addition, a survey was carried out among the forest owners to know their interest in integrating the resin activity in their lands, and to probe their interest in participating in the activities of the project SustForest Plus.
Then, the company Holiste described its new method of resin extraction in closed container, which was developed as part of the BioGemme program, informing that the company plans to increase the resin production in the coming years.
In the afternoon, there was a visit to the national forest of Teste-de-Buch (Gironde) where a demonstration of the technique of extraction in closed container was carried out, so that foresters can know an activity that can report an interesting productive complement that will improve the income statement of their lands.
