Coopérative forestière Bourgogne Limousin

What Coopérative forestière Bourgogne Limousin does

Coopérative forestière Bourgogne Limousin (CFBL) is a French member-owned forestry cooperative headquartered in Ussel (Corrèze) with a regional office in Autun for Bourgogne. Founded as a quality-certified entity in 2003 with operational history dating back approximately 40 years, CFBL serves private forest owners (adhérents) across the Limousin, Bourgogne, Centre-Val de Loire, and Massif-Central regions, with 101-250 employees. Its core offering is an integrated forest management platform spanning forest expertise (expertise forestière), silvicultural operations, wood valorization, and supporting services such as property valuation, fiscal optimization, and sustainable management documentation (PSG/RTG).

The cooperative's technology stack centers on registered proprietary tools: SolClimatForêt® for climate-adapted species selection combining soil and climate studies, Ecoreboisement® for low-cost mechanized reforestation (10-25% cost reduction via the Bracke Planter 'potet travaillé' method), Sylviculture de Précision as a precision-intervention concept, and Amendement des sols for calco-magnesian soil correction via specialized forest carriers. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries — Sylvo Watts (industrial wood-chip production and logistics) and SARL Pierre ESTRADE (forest carrier equipment) — extend operations into the wood-energy and soil-services value chains.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: subscription-based forest management services via the Pass Gestion member portal (continuous property monitoring, budgeting, regulatory surveillance), transaction-based wood commercialization including grouped sales (ventes groupées) and individual timber/firewood sales, and professional services for forest property evaluation, tax advisory, and certification support (PEFC, PHYTO'RESPONSABLE). Distribution is regional and direct, delivered through local forest technicians and advisors across Limousin and Bourgogne, with industrial wood products reaching commercial buyers, heating professionals, and wholesalers via Sylvo Watts.

Name

Coopérative forestière Bourgogne Limousin

Legal name

Coopérative forestière Bourgogne Limousin

Website

https://cfbl.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

French member-owned forestry cooperative headquartered in Ussel, serving private forest owners across Limousin and Bourgogne with integrated forest expertise, silvicultural operations, wood commercialization, and climate-adaptation advisory services via proprietary tools and two operational subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Management Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Timber Tract Operations (113110), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forest Certification, Compliance & Chain-of-Custody Support (AFAMAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Ecosystem Services & Carbon/Conservation Programs (AFAMAAAJ), Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification for Forest Products (AFAMALAB)

Keywords

• Forest management services
• Silviculture services
• Wood commercialization
• Cooperative forestry
• Reforestation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ussel

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Forest Management Services: Comprehensive forest management services including expertise, sylviculture, and ongoing property management through Pass Gestion subscription.
2. Wood Valorization and Commercialization: Sale of wood products including timber, wood energy (plaquettes forestières), and firewood to commercial buyers.
3. Grouped Sales (Ventes Groupées): Organized grouped sales for members combining CFBL and partner cooperatives.
4. Forest Property Services: Evaluation of forest properties for mutations, sales, donations, successions, disputes, or expropriations.
5. Tax and Fiscal Optimization: Assistance with tax procedures, exemptions, and fiscal optimization for forest property transmission.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CFBL is a French forestry cooperative that provides private forest owners with end-to-end forest management services, including forest expertise, silviculture and forestry works, wood commercialization (timber, plaquettes forestières, firewood), reforestation, soil amendment, sustainable management planning, forest heritage evaluation, and tax advisory. Members access these services through a secure online portal (Pass Gestion) and benefit from cooperative pooled sales (ventes groupées) and proprietary methods such as SolClimatForêt®, Ecoreboisement® and Sylviculture de Précision.

Product overview

CFBL operates as a unified cooperative platform offering integrated forestry management services rather than a single product. The core portfolio centers on forest expertise, silvicultural work, and wood valorization, supplemented by specialized modules including SolClimatForêt® for climate adaptation decision support, Ecoreboisement® for cost-efficient reforestation, Sylviculture de précision for targeted forest interventions, and Amendement des sols for soil restoration. Energy wood products include Plaquettes forestières (wood chips via subsidiary Sylvo Watts) and Bois de chauffage (firewood). Additional services encompass property management via Pass Gestion, sustainable management documentation, cartography, fiscal advisory, infrastructure development, and complete operational organization from site preparation through wood commercialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECO-REBOISEMENT®: An economic and environmentally conscious reforestation technique developed by CFBL, involving manual or mechanized planting using the 'potet travaillé' method.
• SolClimatForêt®

Products and services

• Pass Gestion Subscription-style forest management service for member forest owners providing continuous monitoring, annual reports, budgeting, regulatory surveillance, and secure online property management with dynamic cartography, financial flow tracking and document storage.
• SolClimatForêt® Decision-support application combining pedological and climate studies to recommend tree species best adapted to future climate conditions, used by forest owners for climate-adapted plantation planning.
• Ecoreboisement® Cost-reducing reforestation technique using manual or mechanized 'potet travaillé' planting methods that minimize soil disturbance and reduce installation costs by 10-25%, while preserving soil and promoting biodiversity.
• Sylviculture de Précision Precision forestry concept developed by CFBL involving targeted, light-touch interventions only when necessary, balancing quality wood production, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation.
• Amendement des sols Soil amendment service using calco-magnesian lime spreading via specialized forest carriers to restore biological activity, correct acidity and improve drought resistance of forest soils.
• Plaquettes forestières (wood chips) Forest wood chip production and commercialization as renewable energy fuel for automatic biomass heating systems, with industrial quality chips produced and distributed via subsidiary Sylvo Watts.
• Bois de chauffage (firewood) Calibrated firewood commercialized to wholesalers and individuals, primarily oak, hornbeam and beech in lengths of 2m or more.
• Reboisements (reforestation) Forest replanting services delivered via natural or artificial regeneration across CFBL's territories; CFBL is noted as France's largest Douglas fir reforester in its historic implantation areas.
• Travaux d'amélioration Forest improvement works including formation pruning, pruning to height for knot-free wood, and selective marking (martelage) to favor the best-performing trees in a stand.
• Entretiens (forest maintenance) Forest maintenance services including cultural spacing of seedlings, manual or mechanical clearing, and thinning operations to maintain optimal stand density.
• Desserte et équipement (forest access infrastructure) Forest access infrastructure creation and improvement, including forest roads, surfaced tracks, drainage, culverts, and storage or deposition areas for logging operations.
• Organisation amont (upstream organization) Upstream organization services coordinating all aspects of forestry operations from owner wishes, exploitation constraints and regulatory requirements through to environmental considerations and wood valorization.
• Gestion de chantier (logging site management) Logging site management supervising tree felling, timber extraction, wood valorization, and logistics from forest to factory.
• Documents de gestion durable Preparation of sustainable forest management documents, including Simple Management Plans (PSG) and Standard Management Regulations (RTG), with environmental consideration for sensitive habitats.
• Patrimoine (forest heritage evaluation) Forest heritage evaluation for mutations, sales, donations, successions, disputes, expropriations, or insurance assessment, optimizing capital protection for forest owners.
• Fiscalité (forest tax advisory) Tax advisory services covering land tax exemptions after planting, reduced VAT, transmission tax allowances, IFI exemptions, DEFI schemes, and TEPA law benefits for forest property owners.
• Ventes groupées (grouped wood sales) Organized grouped wood sales for members, combining volumes from CFBL and partner forestry cooperatives to secure better prices and access to industrial buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10-25% reduction in reforestation installation costs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sylvo WattscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company handling production and logistics of industrial wood chips (plaquettes forestières). Recognized expertise with implantation in center, north, and east of France making it a key player in wood energy in France.
• SARL Pierre ESTRADEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company with specialized forest carrier equipment for soil amendment operations using calco-magnesian spreaders.
• Partner CooperativesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCooperative partners for grouped wood sales (ventes groupées) organizing collective sales for members across multiple cooperatives.
• FCBAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical institute for wood construction providing expertise and technical documentation for soil amendment and forestry practices.
• Plantons pour l'AvenirminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndowment fund created by French forestry cooperation to support reforestation and sustainable forest management. CFBL participates in this initiative.
• Groupe Coopération ForestièrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent group providing data protection officer (DPO) services and group-level governance for the cooperative. Located at 9 rue Buffault, 75009 Paris.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Office National des Forêts (ONF): State-owned operator managing France's public forests and serving some private owners. Much larger scale and primarily state forest management, but a dominant incumbent in French forestry services with overlapping capabilities in silviculture and sustainable management planning.

Others

• France Bois Forêt: Inter-professional organization bringing together France's forestry and wood sectors, funded by the CVO (inter-professional contribution). An ecosystem/strategic peer influencing CFBL's wood valorization, certification, and biomass-energy market positioning.
• Forêt Privée Française (FPF): National association of private forest owners in France. Not a direct service competitor, but a peer/adjacent entity representing CFBL's potential member/customer base and shaping policy that affects cooperative models.
• Centre National de la Propriété Forestière (CNPF): National governance and advisory body for private forest owners in France, including the regional CRPF offices. An ecosystem/thematic partner rather than a competitor, but directly relevant to the policy and certification environment CFBL operates in.
• FCBA (Institut Technologique Forêt Cellulose Bois-construction Ameublement): French forestry and wood technical institute providing R&D and expertise to CFBL on soil amendment and forestry practices. Ecosystem partner, not a competitor, but a comparable technical-knowledge node in the same value chain.
• PEFC France: French chapter of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, with which CFBL is committed since 2003. Ecosystem/certification body rather than a direct competitor, but its standards directly shape CFBL's PSG/RTG service offering.
• Groupement Coopération Forestière (GCF): Umbrella federation of French forestry cooperatives and CFBL's parent organizational grouping, providing GDPR/DPO and shared governance services. Best characterized as a federation/ecosystem entity rather than a competitor.
• Fédération Nationale du Bois (FNB): French national trade federation representing wood sector industries. Industry-body peer operating in CFBL's wood valorization, commercialization, and wood-energy markets; relevant for benchmarking commercial wood pricing and policy positions.
• Plantsons pour l'Avenir: Endowment fund created by French forestry cooperation to support reforestation and sustainable forestry, in which CFBL participates. Ecosystem partner focused on reforestation financing and awareness rather than a service competitor.

Direct peers

• Alliance Forêts Bois: Largest French forestry cooperative serving private forest owners across Nouvelle-Aquitaine and beyond. Directly comparable as a member-owned cooperative offering integrated forest management, silviculture, wood commercialization, and member services — CFBL's clearest cooperative peer in France.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Coopérative forestière Bourgogne Limousin