The wood industry in Lorraine, between Sélection Vosges and Fiber Pole
More than a third of Lorraine is covered by forests (35.5%). The department of Vosges is the most wooded with 280 000 ha of the 840 000 in the region. For its part, the Meuse is the first French department of beech production. Lorraine is thus the first French region for the production (peeling and sawing) of beech, ash, and maple. With its strengths, the region innovates and invests more and more in research on wood and its derivatives: in France, one project out of three is conducted in Lorraine.
Fiber pole: the strength of a multisector pole
Unique in France, Lorraine has integrated its wood sector into a global cluster that includes four fiber sectors: wood, paper-cardboard, textiles, and composites. The Fibers competitiveness cluster, located on the ENSTIB campus (National School of Wood Technology and Industries) in Epinal, is currently running the Ecolicel project dedicated to the chemical and bio-chemical valorization of wood, lignocellulosic plants. and waste wood and paper. Its industrial interface in Nancy, the CRITT Bois, is a technological resource center.
Certified sawing and certified forest
The second largest French region for the value of its forest production, Lorraine stands out with the first French collective brand of softwood sawing, the Sélection Vosges label, the national leader with 350,000 m³ of sawing/year.
And on the sustainable development side, it has embarked on a certification process for its forest according to the PEFC (European Certified Forest Program) standards. It is the Gipeblor (Interprofessional Group for the promotion of the wood economy in Lorraine) that drives PEFC Lorraine.
The second transformation of wood
But Lorraine still sees further and develops its skills in wood processing. It is thus the first French region for the construction of wooden houses (12.7% of individual houses). Companies recognized in their field have established themselves in Lorraine: Cuny, leader in wood construction, Depalor , the leading French manufacturer of PPSM (melamine-faced chipboard), Oak of the East, a French leader in solid parquet, Merrain international (US ), a European leader in dowel manufacturing.
Lorraine is also specialized in the manufacture of style seats in small series. Created by leading designers, they adorn the major hotels of the world.
