Completing the national accounts so that the trees no longer hide the forest
12 September 2025
Article entitled ‘Why the economic value of French forests is greatly underestimated’ published on 11 September 2025 in Le Monde.
Faced with climate change and its many consequences, public decision-makers need reliable information on the costs and benefits of environmental protection measures. To this end, it is essential to have an accounting valuation of environmental capital that goes beyond the market framework alone.
This article highlights a note from the Economic Analysis Council (CAE) entitled ‘Completing the national accounts so that the trees no longer hide the forest’ and co-authored by Dominique Bureau (SGP and CAE), Fanny Henriet (CNRS-AMSE and CAE) and two researchers from BETA, Philippe Delacote (INRAE, Chair of Climate Economics) and Alexandra Niedzwiedz (AgroParisTech). In this CAE note, the authors propose a method for valuing the multiple services provided by forests in national accounts.
The CAE note is accompanied by two focus articles:
- Focus #119: Faced with climate uncertainty, what tools can be used to monitor and anticipate changes in forests?
- Focus #120: How can the true value of forests be integrated into national accounts?
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
