Pôle RENFOR

Forest establishment, either by planting or by natural regeneration, is presently a major environmental and socio-economical issue. It is required to ensure long term forest sustainability and to meet changing demands from the wood industry and from the society.

INRAE, AgroParisTech, and ONF (National Forest Service), with the support of MAA (Ministry in charge of Agriculture) bring together their expertise to create a research, extension and teaching centre dedicated to forest stand establishment (named RENFOR).

RENFOR is a group of 8, included the Silva unit. Activities of the group fall within the topic "Adaptation of forest management" of the ForeSTree team of Silva. The objectives of the group are defined together by INRAE, ONF, AgroParisTech and MAA. Activities are evaluated by a steering committee which comprises economic, academic and extension actors of the forest sector.

The main objective of RENFOR is to produce knowledge and operational tools to ensure the success of forest plantation and natural regeneration, by designing, evaluating and disseminating management practices, in accordance with present environmental and socio-economic constraints.

The group also leads a research program on the functioning of young forest plantations and naturally regenerated stands, in collaboration with researchers from Silva, other Inra units and others institutions.