France’s government has announced financial aid for timber owners in the Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques whose trees were felled and then immobilised as part of efforts to contain the pinewood nematode, a pest that attacks conifers. A decree published on Tuesday provides €200,000 in funding for the scheme.
The aid is intended to offset losses incurred from 5 November 2025 when timber was held under administrative restrictions. The amount will be calculated based on the difference between the expected sale price and the final price, subject to a cap for each recipient. Applications can be submitted until 15 December 2026.
The containment operation began after the first case was detected in Seignosse, in the Landes, in November 2025. Measures include felling pines within 500 metres of infected conifers and removing dead trees from a 20-kilometre buffer zone.
The area covered by the restrictions now spans 461,800 hectares, according to a regional agriculture authority bulletin published on 29 October. Six new infections were detected on 20 and 21 October in Saint-Étienne-d’Orthe in the Landes and in Artiguelouve, Biron, Castillon, Cescau and Lons in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
By 28 October, 18,294 identified trees had been felled in forests, with around 40 more removed from gardens, green spaces and landscaped infrastructure. The figure does not include clear-cutting in the infected zone at Seignosse or the destruction of contaminated trees.
Sources: Le Figaro.