After the January storm's massive destruction in the South-West of France, Gascogne is launching a wide operation in partnership with customers, in order to help rebuild the Landes forest.
GASCOGNE PAPER: BORN IN THE FOREST
In the 18th century, the local population prepared the ground to plant the "forêt des dunes" (forest of dunes), in order to clean up the Landes marshland and to fix the coastal sands. The Landes de Gascogne forest now covers more than 1 million hectares. It has more than doubled in size in the last 30 years. It is now one of Western Europe's largest forests, and it is a model of sustainable management.
Since forest owners in the Landes region set up Papeteries de Gascogne in 1925, the company's has been a major driver in optimising the use of and renewing its precious raw material, the maritime pine of the Landes de Gascogne. As a result, it has played a constant role in the sustainable development of its regional forest.
In France, the fibres used to make paper and cardboard come from two 100% renewable sources :
 60% from recycled paper/cardboard 40% from waste produced by sawmills and forest maintenance work (branches and tree tops, wood from thinning operations)
Contrary to received wisdom, the paper industry as a whole does not contribute to "deforestation". Instead, it plays an active role in sustainable forest management by exclusively using raw materials that are renewable and actively renewed.
Paper and cardboard are France's most recycled products, and France is gaining 50,000 hectares of woodland per year, due in particular to the efforts of the paper industry.
SUSTAINABLE SPECIES FOR PAPER PRODUCTION
France's woodland currently features 135 different species. To preserve woodland ecosystems, the paper industry works with sustainable species such as pine, fir, birch and eucalyptus. Paper manufacturers are in no way responsible for the large-scale exploitation of tropical forests and the damage to tree species in these forests, since the fibres of these species are totally unsuited to paper production.
FORESTS: THE WORLD'S LUNGS
 France's woodland absorbs 3 million tonnes of carbon per year, producing 8.5 million m³ of wood. Forests take in carbon dioxide, and release an equivalent quantity of oxygen into the atmosphere. As a result, they act as the "world's lungs", helping to reduce the greenhouse effect.
A forest that is cultivated, maintained and renewed, like the Landes de Gascogne forest, makes an even greater environmental contribution.
Gascogne: values based on its forest origins
For more than 80 years, Gascogne has had day-to-day involvement in maintaining forests and increasing the area of woodland, making a significant contribution to reducing the greenhouse effect.
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