Forestry Society

What Forestry Society does

La Forestière (Société Forestière de la CDC) is a French forestry management, investment, and brokerage firm operating as a subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC). Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Paris at 58 Bis Rue La Boétie, the company manages forestry assets for institutional clients, high-net-worth individuals, and private forest owners through six regional agencies covering Centre, Grand Sud Ouest, Est-Sud Est, Grand Ouest, Nord Est, and Paris. Its core offering is end-to-end forest stewardship: PSG (Plan Simple de Gestion) regulatory planning, silvicultural work oversight, wood commercialization (approximately 1 million m³ annually through grouped sales with a 1,500+ buyer network), hunting and fishing lease management, and forest transaction brokerage (purchase and sale of forest properties, with observed listings ranging from €435K for 39-hectare parcels to €6.5M for 349-hectare estates).

The business model combines recurring management fees, transaction commissions on forest sales and wood auctions, and facilitation of forest grouping investments (parts de groupement forestier) that offer investors a 75% reduction on donation and succession taxes under French law. The company produces the Indicateur du prix des bois sur pied annually in partnership with France Bois Forêt, ASFFOR, and Experts Forestiers de France, positioning itself as a market intelligence anchor. Complementary service lines include urban forestry (Arbres en ville), targeting municipalities for arboricultural inventory and climate adaptation, and carbon credit certification under the Label Bas Carbone framework. Key institutional customers include CNP Assurances, for whom La Forestière manages the Lancosme forest massif and associated biodiversity programs. Revenue and detailed financial performance are not disclosed.

Name

Forestry Society

Legal name

Société Forestière de la CDC

Website

https://forestiere-cdc.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

La Forestière is a Paris-based forestry management, investment, and brokerage firm and subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts, serving private forest owners, high-net-worth investors, and public/territorial actors across France through six regional agencies. It manages sustainable forestry plans, commercializes approximately 1 million m³ of wood annually, and brokers forest real-estate transactions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry Management Services

NAICS

Forestry and Logging (113), Timber Tract Operations (113110), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Timberland Asset Management (Institutional/Private) (AFAMAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Timberland & Forestry Properties Brokerage (BPAJADAC), Timberland Leasing & Contract Administration (Hunting, Grazing, Recreation) (AFAMAKAD), Timberland Operations Planning & Contractor Management (AFAMAKAE), Timberland & Forest Asset Management (IMAMAJAA)

Keywords

• Forest management services
• Forest investment advisory
• Timber commercialization
• Forest property brokerage
• Carbon credit certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Forest Management Fees: Recurring fees charged to forest owners for ongoing management services including planning, silvicultural work oversight, and commercial optimization.
2. Forest Transaction Commissions: Brokerage fees earned on the purchase and sale of forest properties, with investment minimums starting at €150,000 for buyer representation.
3. Wood Commercialization Services: Revenue from organizing wood sales (grouped sales, standing timber auctions), charging for marking (martelage), buyer relations, and dispute resolution. Nearly 1 million m³ of wood commercialized annually.
4. Hunting and Fishing Lease Management: Fees for organizing regional consultations, drafting lease agreements, and managing collections for hunting and fishing rights on forest properties.
5. Forest Grouping Investment Shares: Facilitation of investment in forest groupings (groupements forestiers), enabling smaller investors to participate in forest ownership with tax advantages (75% reduction on donation/succession taxes).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

La Forestière provides professional forest management, investment advisory, and brokerage services across France. The company manages forests on behalf of property owners, commercializes approximately 1 million cubic meters of wood annually through grouped sales and auctions, facilitates forest property transactions, and sells shares in forest groupings (groupements forestiers) to investors with tax-advantaged entry. Supporting services include hunting and fishing lease management, urban tree management, and Label Bas Carbone carbon credit certification.

Product overview

La Forestière (Société Forestière de la CDC) operates as a comprehensive forest management and investment company, offering a unified portfolio of services centered on sustainable forest stewardship. The core offerings include forest management (with services ranging from PSG planning to wood commercialization), forest investment products (direct forest purchases and groupement forestier share purchases), and forest sales brokerage. Supporting services include hunting/fishing lease management, wood sales coordination, urban tree management, and carbon credit certification under the Label Bas Carbone. The company is a subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts and manages forests across multiple French regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forest Management (Gestion de forêt) Comprehensive forest management services for property owners including sustainable management planning, asset management, PSG (Plan Simple de Gestion), diagnostics, expertise, inventory, forestry work coordination, and wood commercialization. The company handles everything from planting to harvest.
• Forest Investment (Investissement forestier) Forest investment services enabling investors to purchase forests directly or acquire shares in forest groupings (groupements forestiers), with tax benefits including 75% reduction on inheritance/gift taxes for compliant forest investments.
• Forest Purchase and Sale Brokerage (Achat et vente de forêts) Brokerage services connecting forest sellers and buyers, with a portfolio of forests for sale across France in regions including Lorraine, Ile-de-France, Bourgogne, and Centre.
• Hunting and Fishing Leases (Location chasse et pêche) Rental services for hunting and fishing rights on forest properties, including drafting specialized lease agreements, organizing regional consultations to optimize rental income, and managing payment collections for property owners.
• Wood Sales (Vente de bois) Wood commercialization services including timber marking (martelage), organizing grouped wood sales, and managing wood-on-stump sales with annual delivery contracts. Nearly 1 million cubic meters of wood commercialized annually.
• Urban Trees (Arbres en ville) Urban forestry services including tree inventory and diagnostics, strategic tree heritage management planning, and micro-urban woodlands, helping cities manage urban trees as climate regulators.
• Label Bas Carbone Certification (Low-Carbon Label) Carbon credit certification services for forests under France's Low Carbon Label (Label Bas Carbone), enabling forest owners to generate carbon credits through sustainable forest management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5% to 4% annual returns for well-managed forests
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• France Bois ForêtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025France Bois Forêt is the national interprofessional body for the forest-wood sector. La Forestière co-produces the annual Indicateur du prix des bois sur pied (standing wood price indicator) with France Bois Forêt, ASFFOR, and Experts Forestiers de France, establishing reference pricing for the private forest market in France. This partnership positions La Forestière as an industry authority and primary data source for the sector.
• ASFFOR (Association des Sociétés et Groupements Fonciers et Forestiers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ASFFOR represents investment and land management companies investing in forestry. La Forestière participates in ASFFOR's annual wood price indicator, which is used by Forest Investment Funds (GFI) for investor reporting and performance measurement. ASFFOR enables La Forestière's forest grouping investment products.
• Experts Forestiers de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of forestry experts whose grouped sales data forms the basis of the annual wood price indicator. La Forestière participates in these grouped sales as both organizer and contributor to market intelligence.
• Terres d'Europe-ScafrminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Forestière collaborates with Terres d'Europe-Scafr, the study bureau for the Fédération Nationale des Safer, to publish the annual forest market indicator (Indicateur du marché des forêts en France), providing market analysis, structure, mapping, and price evolution data since 1970.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sofidy: French asset manager offering forest investment vehicles (SCPI/OPCI with forestry exposure). Comparable in offering tax-advantaged French forest investment products to retail and HNW investors.
• Experts Forestiers de France: National network of independent French forestry experts providing management planning, PSG development, expertise, and wood commercialization. La Forestière partners with and co-produces the Indicateur du prix des bois sur pied with this network, evidencing direct service overlap.
• CM Invest: German forestry investment and management firm offering forest grouping-style products and sustainable forest management. Directly comparable as a continental European forestry investment and management services firm.
• Terres d'Europe-Scafr: Land market study bureau affiliated with the national SAFER federation that publishes the annual French forest market indicator in partnership with La Forestière. Directly comparable as a French forest property market research and transaction-adjacent business.

Broad incumbents

• Stafford Capital Partners: Singapore-based global timberland investment manager offering dedicated forestry funds to institutional investors. Comparable as a forest asset/investment manager serving institutional capital, though global rather than France-focused.
• Bergvik Skog: One of Sweden's largest privately held forest owners and managers. Comparable as a European timberland asset manager, though operates at much larger scale with cross-border holdings.
• Stora Enso: Finnish/Swedish integrated forest products company with significant owned and managed forest assets across Europe. Comparable in European forestry asset management scale, though far broader via industrial wood products operations.
• Office National des Forêts (ONF): French national state-owned forest agency managing public forests and providing silvicultural services nationwide. Directly comparable as a French forest manager, but operates state rather than private/commercial forests and is much larger and broader.
• Praemia REIM (formerly Primonial REIM): Major French real estate investment manager offering real estate and forestry vehicles. Comparable as a France-based institutional asset manager that creates and distributes forest/tangible-asset investment products.
• Nysäter: Swedish private timberland asset manager and major forest owner. Comparable as a European forest asset/investment manager with institutional capital exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Forestry Society