strong demand for firewood, which is becoming scarce

Every year, a couple comes to get wood in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt (Val-D’Oise), because part of their house is heated by a stove. The price of the stere has however almost doubled. “Last year, it was 84 euros per stere, and there, it went to 153“, notes the woman. “Many people want to heat with wood this year, due to soaring electricity prices, everyone is falling back on wood, and logically wood is increasing“, explains Thomas Mansour, employee of Bois de Chauff 95. The boss of the company, Alexandre Penon, admits having increased his prices, like his suppliers.

The demand is strong, but the supply is not keeping up. “We have a planned stock, but if it continues like this… For now, we’re going until Christmas, then we don’t know not“, confides the latter. Customers are now restricted to three cubic meters, maximum. The National Forestry Office, which sells the piles of wood to loggers, understood that their order book was overflowing, but the cut is limited to certain areas that are too dense, or to sick and dangerous trees. “Cannot be changed based on demand“, notes Dennis Hemmerregional forestry technician from the National Forestry Office.