All forestry groups are subject to Article L312-1 of the Forest Code.

All? Yes. Their individual surface area is well over 20 hectares, the threshold for implementing the obligation. The smallest GF being that of Charnaussel with an area of 24 hectares.

This obligation is to have a PSG (sustainable management document) approved by the state services.

The ongoing survey, carried out by the federation among managers and managers of forest groups, shows that some forest groups do not yet have a PSG, even though it is mandatory.

Several reasons can be put forward:

- The first is a possible lack of knowledge of regulations or need, as FPM is not productive, often a combination of both.

- The second is the lack of financial means to be able to pay for this document. The average price for its drafting by a professional generally varies between 15 and 65 € per hectare, depending on the complexity of the land, the nature of the stands, and the total volume of the property. The larger the area, the lower the price per hectare tends to decrease. Certainly, the manager has the possibility to write it himself, but you still need to have sufficient forestry background and above-average forestry knowledge to be able to have your document approved by the CNPF.

- The third is that, even if the GF could be productive, the current managers cannot use or even open a bank account that would have allowed to pay the professional manager for writing the PSG. Some registries of the commercial court are reluctant to accept a modification of the Kbis, a mandatory document for the bank.

In conclusion, no updated Kbis, therefore no bank account management, no access to finances and obviously no possibility of paying the forest manager and no sustainable management.

The federation of forest groups of Hérault, aware of these difficulties for a very long time, continues to support the GF who request it and seeks, with local forestry partners, solutions to implement sustainable forest management of forest groups.