What ALLIANCE Forests Wood does

Alliance Forêts Bois is France's largest forestry cooperative, created and administered by approximately 43,000 private forest owners who collectively hold over 1 million hectares of forest land. Founded in 1962 through the consolidation of 18 regional cooperatives and most recently expanded via the 2018 merger with COFOROUEST, the organization operates as a member-governed private entity headquartered in Cestas (Gironde), serving forest owners across western France through 14 territorial agencies and a network of more than 20 bureaux. Its core purpose is to aggregate the fragmented holdings of small private forest owners into economically viable units for professional management, market access, and certification.

The cooperative delivers an integrated service stack across three pillars: Conseil Forestier (forest advisory including sustainable management documents PSG/RTG, fiscal guidance, insurance, and digital mapping via SYLVELITE and the MOBICARTO mobile app), Travaux de Sylviculture (silvicultural work contracting using proprietary equipment such as the DEBDISK inter-row maintenance tool, Deltasol plow, Autoplant GPS-guided poplar planter, and T-Winch steep-slope winch), and Exploitation/Achat de bois (wood harvesting, purchase, and resale to industrial buyers). Operations are vertically integrated through nine wholly-owned subsidiaries covering forestry nurseries (FORELITE), maritime pine sawmilling (CBS), timber post production (UCOPAC, Alliance Piquets Bois), forest exploitation and transport (XPBois, Alliance Récolte Forestière), wood engineering and construction (NOVABOIS), and financial services (SOFOMER). The cooperative also sells transformed products (fence posts, wood chip mulch) and operates direct-to-consumer firewood e-commerce via allianceboisdechauffage.com.

Revenue is generated through wood transaction margins (aggregated purchase-and-resale to sawmills, paper mills, and energy companies), fee-based advisory and silvicultural services, hardware sales of forest supplies and transformed wood products, and e-commerce firewood sales. The cooperative monetizes scale across three vectors: procurement aggregation (43,000 members producing volumes attractive to industrial buyers), certification (82% of wood sold is PEFC certified under group portage), and proprietary equipment deployment that improves biological production (DEBDISK: +40% production, 3 years earlier thinning). Member relationships span generations, reinforcing retention, and the organization participates in interprofessional governance via France Bois Forêt, GIS Pin Maritime du Futur, and technical committees alongside INRAE, FCBA, ONF, and CRPF. The cooperative faces a material sectoral risk from the November 2025 detection of the Pine Wood Nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) in a forest mass at Seignosse (Landes), which directly threatens its core maritime pine asset base and has triggered new prefectoral regulatory measures.

Name

ALLIANCE Forests Wood

Legal name

Alliance Forêts Bois

Website

https://allianceforetsbois.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alliance Forêts Bois is France's largest forestry cooperative, serving 43,000 private forest owners across 1M+ hectares through integrated advisory, silvicultural contracting, and wood commercialization — aggregating member wood volumes for sale to industrial buyers via 14 territorial agencies and nine operating subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Cooperative Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132), Timber Tract Operations (11311)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Silvicultural Planning & Stand Management (Thinning, Pruning, Stand Improvement) (AFAMAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reforestation & Afforestation Services (Planting, Site Prep, Regeneration) (IMAMAAAE), Timberland Operations Planning & Contractor Management (AFAMAKAE), Silviculture & Reforestation Services (Nurseries, Planting, Tending) (IMAMAJAC), Controlled Wood / Due Diligence / Risk Assessment Services (AFAMALAC)

Keywords

• Forest cooperative services
• Sylviculture work services
• Wood harvesting and resale
• Forest management advisory
• Forest nursery seedlings

Headquarters

HQ city

Cestas

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wood harvesting, purchase and resale: Alliance Forêts Bois buys and harvests wood from member forest owners and resells it to industrial clients (sawmills, paper mills, energy companies). The cooperative aggregates wood volumes from multiple small forest owners to achieve better market pricing and market access.
2. Forestry advisory and silvicultural services: Provides fee-based forest management advisory services to private forest owners, including forest mapping (Sylvelite), estate estimation, fiscal guidance, insurance, sustainable management documents (PSG, RTG), and property follow-up. Services are delivered through its network of technicians across 14 agencies.
3. Sylvicultural work contracting: Contracted silvicultural work including cleaning, soil preparation, planting, maintenance, pruning, pre-commercial and commercial thinning, and forest road construction. Delivered using proprietary equipment (DEBDISK, Deltasol, Autoplant, cover-crop).
4. Forestry supply sales: Sale of forestry supplies including forest plants/seedlings (from Forelite subsidiary), game protection equipment, and wood stakes/fencing products (from Alliance Piquets Bois subsidiary).
5. Heating wood e-commerce: Online sales of firewood (heating wood) to individual consumers, delivered in 1m or 2m lengths. Available through dedicated website allianceboisdechauffage.com for Quercy-Pyrénées region.
6. Transformed wood products: Sale of transformed wood products including stakes, fencing, and wood chip mulch (plaquette bois de paillage) to professionals and potentially end consumers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Alliance Forêts Bois is a forestry cooperative that provides integrated forest management services to its 43,000 private forest-owner members across more than 1 million hectares in France. Its core offerings span forest advisory (sustainable management documents, fiscal/insurance guidance), contracted silvicultural work (soil preparation, planting, maintenance, pruning, thinning, forest roads) executed with proprietary equipment, and wood harvesting and purchase for resale to industrial buyers. The offering is extended by transformed wood products (firewood, posts, fencing, wood-chip mulch) and digital tools (MOBICARTO mobile app, SYLVELITE mapping tool, member portal).

Product overview

Alliance Forêts Bois is a forest cooperative offering a comprehensive suite of services organized around three core pillars: Forest Advisory (Conseil Forestier), Silviculture Work (Travaux de sylviculture), and Wood Harvesting/Purchase (Exploitation/Achat de bois). The cooperative serves forest owners through a network of agencies across western France, providing professional services including sustainable management planning, planting, maintenance, harvesting, and wood commercialization. Product portfolio includes timber products (construction wood, industrial wood, energy wood, firewood), transformed products (fence posts, wood mulch), and digital tools (MOBICARTO mobile app, SYLVELITE cartography, member portal). Operations are supported by subsidiaries including FORELITE (forest nursery), CBS (sawmill), NOVABOIS (wood construction), and XPBois (forest exploitation). The cooperative manages over 1 million hectares across 43,000 private forest owner members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forelite: Forest nursery subsidiary producing quality forest plants including maritime pine VF4 variety and Douglas in 200cc containers
• MOBICARTO
• allianceboisdechauffage.com

Products and services

• Conseil Forestier (Forest Advisory) Forest advisory services provided to private forest owners covering management planning, sustainable management documents (Plan Simple de Gestion, Règlement Type de Gestion), fiscal guidance, insurance, property follow-up, and hunting/game management. Delivered through 14 territorial agencies.
• Travaux de sylviculture (Sylvicultural Work) Contracted silvicultural operations for member forest owners including cleaning, soil preparation, planting, maintenance, pruning, pre-commercial and commercial thinning, and forest road infrastructure. Performed using cooperative-owned proprietary equipment.
• Exploitation / Achat de bois (Wood Harvesting and Purchase) Wood harvesting and purchase service for member forest owners, covering standing-timber valuation, felling, skidding, wood valorization, and resale to industrial buyers (sawmills, paper mills, energy companies).
• Bois d'œuvre (Construction Timber) Construction-grade timber products (maritime pine, Douglas, spruce, other softwoods, poplar, oak and other hardwoods) sold to professional wood buyers.
• Bois d'industrie (Industrial Wood) Industrial-grade wood products sold to processing industries such as paper mills and panel-board manufacturers.
• Bois énergie (Energy Wood) Wood biomass products supplied to the energy sector for heating and energy production.
• Bois de chauffage (Firewood) Firewood products sold directly to individual consumers online via allianceboisdechauffage.com in 1m or 2m lengths (oak, beech, chestnut, hornbeam, ash, red oak, bundles), delivered across departments Ariège, Gers, Haute-Garonne, and Lot.
• Piquets et clôtures (Posts and Fencing) Treated wooden posts and fence products made from Alliance forest wood, produced by subsidiaries UCOPAC and Alliance Piquets Bois.
• Plaquette bois de paillage (Wood Chip Mulch) Wood chip mulch products for gardening and landscaping applications.
• FORELITE - Pépinières Forestières (Forest Nursery Plants) Wholly-owned forest nursery subsidiary producing high-quality forest plants including maritime pine VF4 varieties, Douglas in 200cc containers, and approximately 20 additional species for reforestation supply across the cooperative.
• CBS - Scierie de Pin maritime (Maritime Pine Sawmill) Wholly-owned sawmill subsidiary processing maritime pine wood, supplying sawn timber to industrial buyers and design brands (e.g., OXBOW).
• NOVABOIS - Ingénierie et construction bois (Wood Engineering and Construction) Wholly-owned subsidiary providing wood engineering and construction services, including hardwood valorization and structural wood construction.
• XPBois - Exploitation forestière Wholly-owned subsidiary handling commercial forest exploitation, wood commercialization, and sylviculture operations.
• UCOPAC - Piquets et rondins bois (Posts and Logs) Wholly-owned subsidiary producing wooden posts and logs for fencing, landscaping, and agricultural applications.
• MOBICARTO Mobile Application Mobile cartography application for member forest owners providing offline cadastral parcel mapping, forest stand visualization, GPS-based localization, and access to five-year intervention planning.
• SYLVELITE Digital Mapping Tool Digital forest property cartography system providing aerial IGN-based mapping of forest parcels, filterable by stand type, age, intervention type, and year, with extraction and printing capabilities.
• Portail Adhérents (Member Portal) Private online member portal providing access to administrative and accounting documents, work progress tracking, and sustainable management document data integrated with SYLVELITE cartography.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of wood sold by the cooperative is PEFC certified
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Maïsadour – Groupe CoopératifcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025A 4-year partnership signed on November 5, 2025, for reforestation and maintenance of non-exploited forest parcels belonging to Maïsadour. Alliance provides advisory and sylvicultural services to help farmers manage their forest surfaces more sustainably. Initial project at Tartas (4 hectares) with maritime pine and broadleaf edges (cork oak, strawberry tree, pear, birch). Annual maintenance of 5 additional parcels (Bégaar, Hagetmau, Castets, Benquet, Terrasson) totaling 32 hectares.
• VINCI Autoroutes (ASF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2015Deboisement and valorization partnership for the A63 motorway expansion (2x3 lanes) between Ondres and Saint-Geours-de-Maremne. Alliance provided forest clearing, wood harvesting and valorization over 20 months (December 2015 to July 2017), working 150 hectares, mobilizing 12,000 tonnes of wood. Key challenge was evacuating wood without disrupting motorway traffic while meeting strict security and environmental constraints.
• OXBOWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOXBOW (surf and lifestyle brand) launched a design furniture range using local maritime pine wood supplied by Alliance. Wood sourced from a cut at Lacanau (Gironde), sawn at Saumos (Gironde), and assembled at Lacanau. An example of short supply chain and trendy valorization of Landes maritime pine.
• Corse SilvacoopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransfer of cork harvesting expertise to Corsica. Three Alliance employees from Castets agency, trained in cork harvesting in the Marensin (Landes), spent over 3 weeks in Corsica harvesting and skidding nearly 17 tonnes of cork near Sartène and in northern Corsica, transferring skills to the Corsican cooperative.
• Plantons pour l'avenir (Fonds de dotation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance is a partner of the Plantons pour l'avenir endowment fund, the #1 reforestation fund in France. The fund's mission is to accelerate tree planting in France through corporate and individual patronage. Alliance participates in fundraising and promotes the fund's reforestation projects to its members. Donors receive 66% income tax reduction (individuals) or 60% (companies).
• PlanforcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanfor (nursery company) partnered with Forelite (Alliance subsidiary) and Vilmorin (seed company) in the GIS Pin Maritime du Futur scientific group to develop 240 hectares of new maritime pine seed orchards over 25 years. They created G.A.P.P. (Graine d'Avenir Pinus Pinaster), an agricultural civil exploitation company, to establish VF4 and LC3 varieties with improved straightness and vigor.
• VilmorincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed company partnered with Forelite (Alliance subsidiary) and Planfor in the GIS Pin Maritime du Futur to develop new maritime pine seed varieties (VF4, LC3) through the G.A.P.P. company. Objective is improved wood straightness and vigor for more productive plantation forests.
• GIS Pin Maritime du Futur (Groupement d'Intérêt Scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific group founded by INRA, FCBA, CRPF, ONF, bringing together all institutional and professional partners of the French forest-wood sector in Aquitaine. Objective: promote acquisition and transmission of scientific information on the Landes de Gascogne forest. Alliance participates through its Forelite subsidiary, contributing to the 240-hectare maritime pine seed orchard program.
• PEFC FrancecoreOthersAlliance is a major participant in PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certification scheme. 82% of wood sold by the cooperative is PEFC certified. Alliance actively participated in developing the new PEFC France scheme (2017) and offers 'PEFC portage' — group certification where member forests are covered by Alliance's own PEFC certification.
• INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in multiple R&D programs including GIS Pin Maritime du Futur, HYLOBE NA, LUTHYL, PROTEHYL, NEMASTOP, and climate adaptation research. INRAE contributes scientific expertise on forest genetics, pathology, and climate adaptation.
• FCBA (Institut Technologique Forêt Cellulose Bois-construction Ameublement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnological institute partner in multiple R&D programs including Simwood (European project for steep slope forestry), HYLOBE NA, climate adaptation projects, and T-Winch testing. FCBA provides technical monitoring and validation for Alliance's innovative forestry equipment and practices.
• France Bois ForêtcoreOthersAlliance participates in France Bois Forêt, the national interprofessional organization for the forest-wood sector. France Bois Forêt collects the Contribution Volontaire Obligatoire (CVO) from forest owners and businesses, funding sector-wide R&D, training, communication, and promotion actions. A Specialized Maritime Pine Section was created in 2017 with 33 specific actions.
• ONF (Office National des Forêts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in GIS Pin Maritime du Futur scientific group and in various R&D programs. ONF provides public forest management expertise and collaborates on technical committees (Pin Maritime, Douglas, Poplar) and climate adaptation strategies.
• CRPF (Centre Régional de la Propriété Forestière)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional forestry property center, partner in GIS Pin Maritime du Futur and technical committees. CRPF contributes expertise on private forest management standards and participates in technical committees for maritime pine, Douglas, and poplar.
• CNPF-IDF (Centre National de la Propriété Forestière)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in technical committees (including Oak Technical Committee) and various R&D programs. Contributes expertise on private forest management and sustainable forestry practices.
• COFOROUESTcoreOthersMerged with Alliance Forêts Bois on June 29, 2018. The fusion extended Alliance's territorial reach across the entire grand ouest of France, consolidating the cooperative landscape from 18 to 1.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Office National des Forêts (ONF): French state-owned forest operator managing public forests (≈1.7M ha). Directly comparable activity set (silviculture, harvesting, advisory) but serves the public forest estate rather than private owners; both are present in the same R&D and interprofessional bodies (GIS Pin Maritime du Futur, France Bois Forêt).
• Stora Enso: Swedish-Finnish integrated forest products major owning and managing large European timberland estates plus nurseries, sawmills, and pulp operations. Overlaps with Alliance on private-forest owner service, silvicultural R&D, and wood commercialisation, but at vastly larger scale and with downstream processing.
• UPM-Kymmene: Finnish forest products and timberland owner with integrated nurseries, plantations, and downstream mills. Comparable on integrated forest-to-customer model, sustainability certification, and investment in mechanised silviculture.
• SCA (Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget): Swedish forest owner managing 2M+ hectares of private and company forest land with own nurseries, harvesting, and processing. Closest European analogue of a vertically integrated private-forest platform; comparison highlights the scale gap Alliance faces.

Others

• Fransylva: Federation of French private forest owner associations. Comparable because it represents the same 43,000-style private-owner constituency and shapes the political/regulatory environment in which Alliance operates (PEFC, CVO, PSG framework).
• UCFF (Union de la Coopération Forestière Française): National federation of French forestry cooperatives. Alliance is a member and the largest constituent; comparable because it represents competing/cooperating regional forest co-ops (Coforet, Forestarn, etc.) that compete for the same member-owner base in adjacent French regions.

Direct peers

• Weyerhaeuser: US timberland REIT managing ~11M hectares with timber sales, land exchange, and silvicultural services. Comparable on the model of aggregating small forest owners, marketing certified timber, and operating proprietary seedling nurseries — though via a listed REIT rather than a cooperative.
• Rayonier: US timberland REIT managing ~2.7M acres with timber sales, land management services, and carbon-development optionality. Comparable as a benchmark for capitalised, data-driven timberland management; useful for assessing Alliance's potential to monetise its digital tools (SYLVELITE/MOBICARTO) and carbon.
• Gresham Investment Management: UK-based timberland investment manager operating across the US, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. Comparable as a forest-management-services provider for institutional and private owners, and as a competitor/partner for European forest-carbon and sustainable-timber mandates.
• Stafford Capital Partners: Global timberland and natural-capital investment manager with European and Latin American mandates. Comparable as a third-party forest manager serving institutional clients — a model Alliance could in principle offer if it spun out or partnered a commercial asset-management arm.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/allianceforetsbois

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ALLIANCE Forests Wood