La mode de la maison en bois

LE MONDE | 14.11.05 | 16h07 • Mis à jour le 14.11.05 | 16h07

Longtemps les Français ont délaissé la maison de bois. L'histoire populaire des Trois Petits Cochons avait sans doute trop bien ancré dans les mentalités le sentiment que cette construction végétale résisterait moins bien au vent et aux flammes que celles en pierre ou en brique. Depuis trois ans, la maison individuelle en bois est pourtant devenue le choix de coeur d'un nombre croissant de Français. Sur les 200 000 maisons mises en chantier en 2005, près de 6 000 seront construites en bois, soit 20 % de plus que l'année précédente. Ce chiffre reste modeste par rapport à l'Amérique du Nord, où 97 % des maisons adoptent ce mode de construction rapide — les différents éléments sont préparés à l'avance en usine — et à peine plus onéreux (1 100 euros du m² environ) qu'une maison traditionnelle.

Ce nouveau goût pour la matière végétale répond à la recherche d'authenticité, de ressourcement et de rapprochement avec la nature en même temps qu'elle montre un nouveau souci de préservation de l'environnement. Cela tombe bien : avec ses 16 millions d'hectares de forêts (deux tiers de feuillus, un tiers de résineux), notre pays n'est pas dépourvu de cette ressource.

Mais la maison en bois est-elle totalement écologique ? Mieux que le métal et le verre, le bois est perçu comme le premier des écomatériaux. Il est même redevenu un objet de curiosité pour les architectes, qui l'avaient délaissé pendant les années 1980. Les vertus écologiques du bois, qui peut être utilisé dans les ossatures des maisons (charpente, poteaux, poutres), mais aussi en bardages extérieurs et en revêtements intérieurs (cloisons, parquets...) ne sont plus à démontrer.

Le bois est la plus importante matière première végétale renouvelable de la planète. "Une fois coupé, le bois lutte contre l'effet de serre en piégeant le gaz carbonique à raison de 1 tonne par mètre cube de bois coupé et stocké", affirme Georges-Henri Florentin, le directeur général adjoint du Centre technique du bois et de l'ameublement (CTBA), installé à Bordeaux. Par ailleurs, les opérations de transformation du bois en matériau de construction sont peu consommatrices d'énergie. Sur le sol, l'impact du bois est minime en raison de sa légèreté et il se marie facilement avec les paysages. Enfin, une maison de bois a moins besoin d'être chauffée qu'une maison en pierre.

Restent deux problèmes environnementaux : le traitement du bois et l'approvisionnement. Si la solidité des structures réalisées dans ce matériau est incontestable — les bâtiments haussmanniens ont, comme d'autres avant eux, prouvé leur résistance —, le vieillissement des revêtements extérieurs est plus problématique.

AVANCÉES TECHNIQUES

Dès qu'il est en contact avec l'air et l'humidité, le bois naturel est en effet confronté aux attaques des termites et des champignons. Il est donc nécessaire de traiter chimiquement les façades des habitations pour qu'elles résistent aux intempéries et au vieillissement. Or, lorsqu'il pleut, ces substances, souvent très toxiques, se répandent dans les sols. "Le bois est certes le plus écologique des matériaux pour le bâtiment, mais son traitement est aussi le plus nocif pour l'environnement", affirme Nicolas Favet, l'un des deux architectes concepteurs de la maison manifeste Eco-Logis exposée au parc de La Villette en 1998.

Des avancées techniques ont toutefois été obtenues. "Les produits qui portent le label CTB P + ont par exemple fait l'objet d'essais environnementaux", affirme M. Florentin. Des ingénieurs de l'école des Mines de Saint-Etienne ont mis au point un système de traitement par la chaleur (dit de rétification), mais qui a l'inconvénient de noircir.

"L'utilisation du bois n'est intelligente que si celui-ci provient d'une filière locale", estime l'architecte Arnaud Lacoste, chez Lode Architecture. En effet, des arbres comme le Red Cedar du Canada ou des variétés exotiques du Brésil ou d'Asie, qui résistent naturellement à l'humidité, ne proviennent pas toujours de forêts dont le patrimoine est reconstitué au fur et à mesure de l'exploitation (labels PEFC ou FSC). Et, lorsque c'est le cas, ces arbres doivent parcourir plus de 4 000 kilomètres en bateau pour venir jusqu'ici, ce qui n'est pas très écologique...

Florence Amalou

Article paru dans l'édition du 15.11.05

Tags: foret, forest

Showering with a clean conscience: Palm oil will soon be produced without threatening tropical forests

WWF - 23 Nov 2005

Singapore – Consumers can soon enjoy soap, shampoos and many other products containing palm oil with a clean conscience following overwhelmingly acceptance by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) — a group of producers, buyers, retailers, financial institutions and NGOs — on a set of criteria for the responsible production of palm oil.

WWF is calling on companies to implement these criteria as soon as possible to ensure the conservation of tropical forests that are valuable for both people and endangered species, such as elephants, tigers, and orang-utans.

Known as the “RSPO Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production”, the criteria give companies much-needed guidelines to produce palm oil in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible way. Its ratification was the result of a year-long participatory process involving a broad spectrum of stakeholders.

Palm oil is used in a vast range of everyday products, including soaps, chocolate bars, ice cream, ready-to-eat meals and margarine. Increasingly, it is being touted as a biofuel. Worldwide demand for palm oil has skyrocketed over the past 25 years, and palm oil plantations now cover an area of 11 million hectares. Global production of palm oil is expected to nearly double by 2020.

While oil palm production is a major source of income for Malaysia and Indonesia, the main producer countries, bad practices in parts of the industry have also brought about high ecological and social costs. Industry growth is fuelling the rapid clearing of the most biodiverse tropical forests in the world, putting pressure on species that need these forests. Forest fires to clear land for plantations are a regular source of haze in Southeast Asia, posing serious health problems.

WWF believes that sustainable palm oil production is the best way to meet the world’s growing palm oil needs without further damaging forests and people. The ratification of the RSPO criteria is a crucial first step in the right direction.

“This breakthrough for sustainable palm oil was only possible because everyone worked together,” said Matthias Diemer, Head of WWF’s Forest Conversion Initiative. “Before consumers can find sustainable palm oil products on supermarket shelves, all companies in the supply chain, from plantations to retailers, must take immediate action to put these criteria into practice.”

While the criteria apply to producers, the buyers of palm oil, particularly food manufacturers and retailers, should switch to sustainable palm oil, thereby encouraging producers to do the right thing.

“Most of the lowland forest of the island of Sumatra has already been cleared for plantations and other uses,” added Dian Kosasih, Head of WWF-Indonesia's forest programme.

“As sustainable palm oil production gains momentum, we have the chance to stop further destruction and save some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, which are excluded from conversion by the RSPO criteria.”

Initiated by WWF in cooperation with business partners in 2003, the RSPO is an independent non-profit organisation focused on promoting sustainable palm oil and achieving a common definition of responsible palm oil production. WWF participated actively in developing the RSPO criteria.

For further information:
Dieter Müller, Communications Officer
WWF Forest Conversion Initiative, WWF-Switzerland
Tel: +41 44 297 22 25
E-mail: dieter.mueller@wwf.ch

Carrie Svingen, Senior Communications Officer
WWF Asia Pacific Forest Programme
Tel: +62 361 231805
E-mail: csvingen@wallacea.wwf.or.id

Liens Forets ENGREF

Liens

ENGREF: (=France) L'Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural des Eaux et des Forêts

wsl: articles interessants

"Liens des articles sur Internet dans: La Forêt"

WSL: (=suisse) Institut fédéral de recherches sur la forêt, la neige et le paysage

Illegal timber trade in Europe driving global forest loss and poverty (WWF)

PDF file: the publication of the WWF... contains a map, tables and more...

Article:
Illegal timber trade in Europe driving global forest loss and poverty (WWF)
22 Nov 2005
Gland, Switzerland – Unless urgent action is taken by the European Union, the illegal timber trade in Europe could contribute to large-scale depletion of timber in some areas and loss of important forests, especially in the Congo Basin and Indonesia, in about 10 years time, a new WWF report shows.

The report, which focuses on the trade between EU countries and the Amazon Basin, the Congo Basin, East Africa, , the Baltic States and , found that the EU imports roughly 20 million cubic metres of illegal timber from these regions annually. As a result, the EU is responsible for around €3 billion of the global €10–15 billion in lost revenue due to illegal logging each year.

WWF believes current EU efforts, including the Forests Law Enforcement Governance & Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, which promotes voluntary agreements between member states importing timber and external countries producing it, fall far short of the measures needed to tackle illegal logging. While the aim of the regulation is to prevent illegal timber being imported into the EU, it is neither mandatory, nor does it prevent illegal timber being imported via third countries, the global conservation organization says.

As Ministers meet to discuss measures to consider illegal logging at a meeting in Brussels today, WWF is calling for new EU-wide legislation to prohibit the import of illegally logged timber. WWF also urges the EU to take far more active steps to encourage other major producers such as , and the to eliminate illegal timber from their own imports.

“The EU must take much tougher action if it wants to make a difference in both conserving the world’s most important forests and help alleviate poverty,” said Duncan Pollard, Head of WWF’s European Forest Programme. “Only measures that make it mandatory for EU members to prohibit illegal timber coming into Europe will really help combat illegal logging.”

According to the report, the ? is the biggest importer of illegal timber in Europe (and the third biggest importer of illegal timber and pulp and paper combined, followed by and respectively). The trade is responsible for the loss of 600,000 hectares of forest each year – more than twice the size of.

“The ? has made poverty a central plank of its EU presidency yet its consumption of illegal timber is robbing countries such as Africa and of invaluable income,” said Andrew Lee, Director of Campaigns for WWF-UK. “Illegal logging deprives local communities who often rely on forests for their livelihoods, while big international companies reap the profits.”

For further information:
Olivier van Bogaert,
Senior Press Officer WWF International
Tel: +41 22 364 9554
E-mail: ovanbogaert@wwfint.org

Alison Sutton,
Senior Press Officer
WWF-UK
Tel: +44 1483 412388
E-mail: asutton@wwf.org.uk

Forest Dialogue Forum – China

From the 'Forest Landscape Restoration' (FLR) Newsletter
No. 12 (September 2005)

Forest Dialogue Forum – China
3 – 4 August 2005, Beijing, China
The State Forestry Administration of China recently initiated its first ever Forest Dialogue Forum on issues related to China’s forest management. The meeting was co-organized with WWF and the World Bank and about 90 people from over 20 government agencies, NGOs, international aid agencies, and embassies participated. IUCN was invited to present their expertise on forest law enforcement and governance (FLEG), and forest landscape restoration (FLR). WWF was invited to present on several issues in particular the work in the Minshan Landscape Approach and FLR, and other conservation priority-setting activities. Outcomes included China’s expression of further interest in joining the Global Partnership on FLR.

Chinese timber companies join forest and trade network

Chinese timber companies join forest and trade network

01 Nov 2005
Dongguan, China – The China Forest and Trade Network (CFTN) marked a major milestone when it formally announced that five companies from mainland China and three companies from Hong Kong have qualified as its first official members.

These new members are the first companies in China and Hong Kong to pass the CFTN membership requirement, thus demonstrating long-term commitments to responsible forest management and trade.

The companies include two of China’s largest state-owned forest bureaus, three major private manufacturing companies based in mainland China, and three trading companies located in Hong Kong.

Launched in March 2005, CFTN is the China chapter of the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), WWF’s worldwide partnership between leading non-governmental organizations, companies and communities aimed at eliminating illegal logging and improving the management of valuable and threatened forests.

Working in parallel with 30 other country forest and trade networks that represent more than 400 companies, the CFTN gives its members market access to a vast global network of similarly-minded businesses.

“China is emerging as a dominant force in the global forest trade,” said CFTN manager Jin Zhonghao.

“It’s crucial that Chinese companies have a network that enables them to demonstrate that they are managing forests sustainably and processing and trading forest products responsibly."

Half of the world’s original forest cover has already been destroyed and much of that destruction has taken place over the last 50 years. As the world’s second largest importer of industrial timber, pulp and paper, China leaves a massive ecological footprint across the forests of the globe — both as a producer and a consumer.

Faced with an increasing demand for wood and paper products along with diminishing forest resources, China imports timber from many countries, including Russia, Indonesia, South America and Central Africa. These regions have significant problems such as illegal logging, loss of natural forest to agriculture and silviculture, and loss of biodiversity.

Against this backdrop, the environmentally-sensitive markets of Europe and North America are calling for wood products that are legally harvested. The companies that joined the CFTN today see the potential to grow their export trade with these regions by becoming more responsible in their purchasing and achieving credible certification.

“Our customers in Europe demand certified and legal timber,” said Peter Cox, Quality Assurance Manager for Hong Kong-based trading company Kingfisher Asia Ltd. “CFTN can provide the support to our Chinese manufacturers that will help us meet this demand.”

In order to qualify for the CFTN, the new member companies have undergone baseline audits and prepared detailed action plans to improve their environmental performance. The CFTN will provide technical support and guidance to help these companies follow through on these action plans in order to achieve credible certification within a five-year period.

CFTN member companies acknowledge that, given the state of today’s changing global forest market, responsible forest management and trade is good business.

“Our goal is to become the leading flooring company in the world, and to achieve that we must take responsibility for the environment," Lu Weiguang, Chairman of the Shanghai-based Anxin Flooring Company.

"The CFTN will help my company find sustainable sources of legal timber so that both my business and the forests will thrive for generations to come.”

Notes:

• The eight new China Forest and Trade Network members include:

Mainland China
Jinlin Province Baihe Forest Bureau (Producer)
Heilongjiang Province Youhao Forest Bureau (Producer)
Yihua Timber (Manufacturer)
Shanghai Anxin Flooring Co. Ltd. (Manufacturer)
Yingbin (Shunde-Foshan)
Timber Co. Ltd. (Manufacturer)

Hong Kong
Kingfisher Asia Ltd. (Trading company)
100% Concept Asia Pacific Ltd. (Trading company)
Auma International Ltd. (Trading company)

For further information:
Jin Zhonghao, WWF China Programme
Tel: +86 133 1111 0899
E-mail: zhhjin@wwfchina.org

Lily Lee, WWF Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2525 4699
E-mail: llee@wwf.org.hk

Deforestation continues at an alarming rate (FAO)

a more complete article (directly from FAO contrary to the previous post from the new scientist). Note the difference in the titles! (Rate of forest felling falls)

Deforestation continues at an alarming rate

But net forest loss slowing down – FAO presents new global forest figures

14 November 2005, Rome – Each year about 13 million hectares of the world’s forests are lost due to deforestation, but the rate of net forest loss is slowing down, thanks to new planting and natural expansion of existing forests, FAO announced today.

The annual net loss of forest area between 2000 and 2005 was 7.3 million hectares/year -- an area about the size of Sierra Leone or Panama -- down from an estimated 8.9 million ha/yr between 1990 and 2000. This is equivalent to a net loss of 0.18 percent of the world’s forests annually.

These are some of the key findings of The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA 2005), the most comprehensive assessment to date of forest resources, their uses and value, covering 229 countries and territories between 1990 and 2005.

“This assessment allows us to gauge the important role of the world’s forest resources in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals, in particular in meeting the targets set for reducing poverty and ensuring a sustainable global environment," said Hosny El-Lakany, Assistant Director-General of the FAO Forestry Department.

"It provides a comprehensive update on how we manage and use our forests, and shows that while good progress is being made in many places, unfortunately forest resources are still being lost or degraded at an alarmingly high rate,” he added.

The changing profile of world forests

Forests now cover nearly 4 billion hectares or 30 percent of the world’s land area, however 10 countries account for two-thirds of all forest area: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, Peru, the Russian Federation and the United States of America.

South America suffered the largest net loss of forests between 2000 and 2005 - around 4.3 million hectares per year - followed by Africa, which lost 4.0 million hectares annually.

Oceania had a net loss of 356 000 ha/year in 2000-2005, while North and Central America together had a net loss of 333 000 ha/yr. Asia moved from a net loss of around 800 000 ha per year in the 1990s to a net gain of one million hectares per year between 2000 and 2005, primarily as a result of large-scale afforestation reported by China. Forest areas in Europe continued to expand, although at a slower rate than in the 1990s.

Primary forests -- that is forests with no visible signs of past or present human activities -- account for 36 percent of total forest area, but are being lost or modified at a rate of 6 million hectares a year through deforestation or selective logging.

FRA 2005 also found that new forests and trees are being planted at increasing rates, but plantations still account for less than 5 percent of forest area, it notes.

From biological diversity to carbon sequestration

Forests have multiple functions, including conservation of biological diversity, soil and water, supplying wood and non-wood products, providing recreation opportunities and serving as carbon sinks.

While most forests are managed for multiple uses, FRA 2005 found that 11 percent are designated principally for the conservation of biological diversity -- and such areas have increased by an estimated 96 million hectares since 1990.

Around 348 million hectares of forests are used to conserve soil and water, control avalanches and desertification, stabilize sand dunes and protect coastal areas.

One-third of the world’s forests are mainly used for production of wood, fibre and non-wood products, and more than half have production of these products as one of their management objectives, indicating the importance of forest products at the local, national and international levels.

Forests are particularly important as carbon sinks: the amount of carbon stored in forest biomass alone is about 283 Gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon, though it decreased globally by 1.1 Gt annually between 1990 and 2005. Carbon stored in forest biomass, deadwood, litter and soil together is roughly 50 percent more than the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

A global effort

The data for FRA 2005 was provided to FAO by national governments and resource assessment specialists, with more than 800 people involved in the entire process, including 172 national assessment teams, according to Mette Løyche Wilkie, who coordinated the effort.

"The outcome of this global partnership is better data, a more transparent reporting process and enhanced capacity to analyse and report on forests and forest resources,” she said.

“The findings of FRA 2005 will support decision-making for policies, programmes and outlook studies in forestry and sustainable development at all levels - local, national and international,” Ms Wilkie added.

FRA 2005 results:
http://www.fao.org/forestry/fra2005

Forests paying the price for biofuels

Article Preview

Forests paying the price for biofuels

• 19 November 2005
• Fred Pearce
• Magazine issue 2526

The drive for "green energy" in the developed world is having the perverse effect of encouraging the destruction of tropical rainforests

From the orang-utan reserves of Borneo to the Brazilian Amazon, virgin forest is being razed to grow palm oil and soybeans to fuel cars and power stations in Europe and North America. And surging prices are likely to accelerate the destruction

The rush to make energy from vegetable oils is being driven in part by European Union laws requiring conventional fuels to be blended with biofuels, and by subsidies equivalent to 20 pence a litre. Last week, the British government announced a target for biofuels to make up 5 per cent of transport fuels by 2010. The aim is to help meet Kyoto protocol targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Rising demand for green energy has led to a surge in the international price of palm oil, with potentially damaging ...

To continue reading this article, subscribe to New Scientist.

Rate of forest felling falls

Rate of forest felling falls

• 19 November 2005
• From New Scientist Print Edition.

HERE'S a rare thing: news about the environment containing a glimmer of hope. According to a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, there has been a slight fall in the net rate of deforestation round the world.

Between 2000 and 2005, some 7.3 million hectares of forest was lost each year. This was down slightly on the 1990 to 2000 figure of 8.9 million hectares a year. The difference is mainly due to reforestation, rather than less forest clearance.

The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005, which was published on Monday, found that 11 per cent of forests are set aside for the conservation of biological diversity, representing an increase of 96 million hectares since 1990. "While good progress is being made in many places, unfortunately forest resources are still being lost or degraded at an alarmingly high rate," says Hosny El-Lakany, of the FAO's forestry department.

The largest net losses were in South America - around 4.3 million hectares per year - while major afforestation in China meant a net gain in Asia of 1 million hectares.

En Birmanie, des forêts décimées en silence

Environnement. Une ONG dénonce le trafic chinois de bois précieux.
En Birmanie, des forêts décimées en silence

par Arnaud DUBUS
Libération : samedi 19 novembre 2005

Bangkok de notre correspondant

L'une des zones les plus riches du globe en termes de biodiversité est en train de disparaître dans l'indifférence. C'est le cri d'alarme lancé par l'ONG Global Witness, qui, après quatre ans d'enquête clandestine, dénonce dans un rapport publié en octobre l'exploitation aussi massive qu'illégale par des firmes chinoises des forêts du nord-est de la Birmanie. Dans ces confins birmans où l'Asie du Sud rencontre l'Asie de l'Est, on peut encore trouver tigres et pandas rouges ainsi qu'une immense variété de plantes indigènes spécifiques à cette région, sans parler des nombreux bois précieux, comme le teck et l'if d'Himalaya. Ce sont ces derniers qui sont livrés à l'exploitation de 20 000 bûcherons chinois passés de l'autre côté de la frontière, dans cette zone habitée par la minorité ethnique des Kachins. «A ce rythme, les forêts disparaissent au moment même où nous parlons. Toutes les sept minutes, un camion chargé de troncs traverse la frontière entre le nord de la Birmanie et la Chine. L'exploitation forestière est chaotique. Il n'y a aucun contrôle», s'indigne Susanne Kempel, l'une des auteurs du rapport.

Ruée. Cette zone constitue le haut du bassin versant de l'Irrawaddy, le plus grand fleuve birman. Ici comme ailleurs, la déforestation accélérée a exacerbé sécheresses et inondations. «Les villageois kachins se rappellent qu'avant leurs maisons étaient environnées de forêts. Ces mêmes zones sont aujourd'hui désolées», dit-elle. Un faisceau de facteurs explique cette ruée des firmes chinoises. D'abord, le fait que Pékin ait interdit les coupes de bois dans 18 provinces chinoises après les grandes inondations dues aux crues du Yangtze en 1998 et en 2000. Les firmes du Yunnan et du Sichuan se sont rabattues sur la Birmanie.Ensuite, les commandants birmans de la région n'ont pas hésité à vendre des concessions forestières contre de larges pots-de-vin. La guérilla kachin, qui a conclu un accord de cessez-le-feu avec la dictature birmane dans les années 90, a cru pouvoir faire développer les infrastructures routières en échange de concessions. L'absence de toute présence internationale a permis au trafic de prospérer.

Poudre aux yeux. «Les communautés locales n'en bénéficient pas. Parfois, on leur promet des routes en échange, mais celles-ci ne sont jamais construites ou ne permettent que d'accéder à la forêt. Certaines élites locales s'enrichissent, mais la plus grosse partie de l'argent va aux hommes d'affaires chinois, basés dans le Guangdong et à Shanghai, et qui achètent le bois à des prix ridicules», précise Susanne Kempel. Global Witness en appelle donc au gouvernement central chinois pour qu'il ferme la frontière à ce trafic «en attendant qu'un système de contrôle offrant toutes les garanties puisse être mis en place». Pékin avait conclu en 2001 un accord avec la Birmanie pour combattre ce commerce illégal au point de vue de la loi chinoise. Poudre aux yeux, considère Jon Buckrell de Global Witness : «On a vu beaucoup d'engagements internationaux conclus par la Chine, comme celui avec la Birmanie ou, plus récemment, avec l'Indonésie, mais l'application sur le terrain paraît minimale.» Pékin n'est cependant pas le seul fautif : le tiers de ce bois importé illégalement de Birmanie est ensuite réexporté, sous forme de meubles made in China, vers les Etats-Unis, le Japon et l'Europe.

Comment aider à enrayer ce commerce désastreux pour l'équilibre écologique de la région ? La tâche est malaisée dans cette zone peu accessible, qui sort à peine de la guerre civile. Le mieux, suggère Susanne Kempel, serait d'aider financièrement les organisations de la société civile locale qui se mobilisent pour mettre un terme au massacre forestier et qui semblent bénéficier d'un peu plus de liberté que les activistes politiques. «Nous encourageons l'Union européenne à consacrer plus d'aides à cette région frontalière. C'est absurde que les locaux souffrent des sanctions infligées à un régime [politique] maléfique», estime Susanne Kempel. En octobre 2004, le Conseil européen a exprimé son soutien à des programmes de développement face «au problème des coupes de bois excessives» qui aboutissent à la déforestation birmane. Mais rien de concret n'a été mis en place.