The course and drivers of the forest transition: The case of France

Deforestation in developing countries has given rise to much concern in recent years. Until the early 19th century, many now-developed countries such as France experienced similar deforestation. Net deforestation then gave way to net reforestation: this shift is defined as the forest transition. The courses and drivers of forest transitions are not well understood: until a better understanding is achieved, it will be difficult to evaluate the prospects for comparable forest transitions to occur in developing countries. This paper aims to advance the understanding of the forest transition by analysing its occurrence in France. It concludes that the transition can be understood in terms of a crisis-response model, set in the context of a number of necessary factors. It also indicates that the forest transition was accompanied by a paradigmatic shift from the pre-industrial to the industrial forest, the former relating to local use for a diversity of purposes and the latter geared to the perceptions and needs of the urban-industrial state.