Estimating forest biomass and productivity in the face of environmental change

Environmental changes call for a redefinition and broadening of the ecosystem services provided by forests, whilst ensuring their sustainable management. Quantifying timber and wood energy resources, as well as the carbon storage function, requires new methods for assessing forest volume and biomass. In the context of sustainable forest management, the assessment of harvests must take account of forest productivity, the environmental control of which must be clearly defined and quantified. These requirements also call for an expansion of the geographical scales considered, and for the woody diversity of forest resources to be taken into account. This paper reviews recent progress in these areas in France, set against a historical backdrop and accompanied by an outlook. It highlights significant advances and realistic prospects for progress in the short term.