Will trees save the planet? That is the promise made by many public policies, timber companies, NGOs, and multinational corporations. With deforestation accelerating and CO2 emissions reaching record levels, planting trees is presented as a common-sense solution to the ecological disaster. But is it really that simple?

Symbol to the eyes of urban people of an authentic nature, the French forest lives an unprecedented phase of industrialization. Heavy mechanization, mono cultures, fertilizers and pesticides, forest management follows the intensive agricultural model at an accelerated speed.