Forest renewal aid: a new national scheme comes into force

A national system of aid for reforestation and the natural regeneration of woodlands and forests is created by Decree No. 2026-937 of October 8, 2026, published in JORF No. 0237 of October 10, 2026, under reference NOR TECT2624353D. Issued for the application of Article L. 121-6 of the Forestry Code, it establishes the disaster situations entitling one to funding, the rates, the ceilings, and the commitments of the beneficiaries. An Order of October 8, 2026 (NOR TECT2624357A) specifies the technical thresholds and flat-rate tariffs.

The mechanism completes Chapter I of Title II of Book I of the regulatory part of the Forestry Code with a new Article D. 121-4, which sets out the general conditions for any public aid for reforestation or natural regeneration. The decree is sponsored by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature; its execution is entrusted to Minister Monique BARBUT and the Minister of Agriculture, Agri-Food, and Food Sovereignty, Annie GENEVARD. The payment and, where applicable, the recovery of the aid are the responsibility of the establishment mentioned in Article L. 313-1 of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.

Nine forest situations entitling one to aid

Aid can only be granted to remedy one of the nine situations listed in Article 5 of the decree, the characteristics of which are quantified by the order:

Death of a significant portion of a stand due to a biotic phenomenon (bark beetles, other pests, or pathogens): more than 20% of the area, or more than 20% of the dominant or codominant stems or coppice stools in the case of diffuse impact.
Death or severe degradation due to drought, hail, or storms: more than 20% of the dominant or codominant stems or coppice stools.
Fire occurring less than five years before the application: more than 80% of the affected area and more than 20% of the dominant or future trees destroyed.
Low density following the failure of regeneration or planting: fewer than 600 plants per hectare, or 75 plants per hectare for poplars.
Dieback linked to climate change vulnerability established by pedoclimatic diagnosis: more than 5% of the dominant or codominant stems, the basal area, or the volume of strong timber.
Poor quality of regrowth, growth, or coppice stands: trees of small diameter up to the 25-centimeter class, high forest reserve of less than 10 m² of basal area or 30 stems per hectare, fewer than 100 future stems per hectare.

Added to these are climate vulnerability without dieback and difficult operating conditions in mountain areas. The planting of species of the eucalyptus genus is excluded from the benefit of the aid.

Rates from 40% to 50%, increased up to 70%

The base rate is set at 50% for situations of mortality, fire, and low density, and at 40% for situations of dieback, climate vulnerability, and stand poverty. It is increased by 15 or 10 points in the event of sustainable management certification or membership in a grouping structure, and by 20 points when the cutting involves at least 60% spruce or fir colonized by bark beetles in a particularly exposed municipality.

Ceiling per beneficiary: two million euros.
Aid refused if the calculated amount is less than 1,000 euros for infilling, or 3,000 euros in other cases.
Protection against game damage retained within the limit of 40% of the total expenditure.
Flat-rate tariffs per hectare, by species and by zone: from 2,310 euros for maritime pine in the Landes de Gascogne to 6,445 euros for sessile, pedunculate, pubescent, and cork oaks and chestnut, excluding project management and protections.
Project management: a fixed portion of 1,500 euros and 18% of expenditures excluding project management for under 4 hectares, 14% beyond 20 hectares.

Commitments, deadlines, and submission of applications

The beneficiary has three years from the allocation of the aid to complete the operation, otherwise the aid may be withdrawn. For fire situations, they must conclude an insurance contract against fire risk within the year following the payment of the balance, for a minimum duration of five years. For plantations and regeneration interventions, the stand must reach a minimum density of living plants five years after allocation; for cuttings and partitioning, at least one hundred stems of future species per hectare at the end of the works.

Applications must have been submitted by June 9, 2026, at the latest to the State representative in the department, who allocates the aid; the decree applies to applications transmitted before June 10, 2026. Submission is done electronically via the CartoGIP online service, with the identifier and access code requested at the address francenationverte.contact@gipatgeri.fr.

Scope of the text

The scheme therefore applies to the 2026 campaign already under review, substituting local mechanisms with a single national scale, based on measurable disaster thresholds and flat-rate tariffs by species and geographical zone. For forest owners and the wood industry, the challenge lies in the justification of the diagnosis — mortality, dieback, or regeneration failure — and in compliance with density and insurance commitments, which condition the retention of the sums paid.

Source: JORF No. 0237 of October 10, 2026, Decree No. 2026-937 of October 8, 2026 (NOR TECT2624353D) and Order of October 8, 2026 (NOR TECT2624357A).