Buy forest ?

Planning an acquisition ?

The world of forestry is a world of its own — with its own market, supply chains, professionals, and well-known (and less well-known) networks.

Are you drawn to the idea of buying a forest to diversify your portfolio or simply to own a few hectares of nature? Ready to take the next step?

A forest is a unique type of real estate, and the world of forest investment — which has grown significantly in recent years — can seem opaque to newcomers. You may be asking yourself:

- How do you buy a forest?
- What budget is needed for a given forest area?
- What are the benefits and possible objectives? Is there a region best suited to my project?
- Who are the key stakeholders?
- What are the seller’s rights? The buyer’s rights?
- What role does the notary play, and how involved is he or she?

Forêt Patrimoine, a specialist in forest transactions, is here to answer all these questions.

What Makes a Forest ?

A forest is a space that fulfills several essential functions for humankind:
- A complete ecosystem where interdependent living organisms coexist
- A natural source of a noble, reliable material for construction
- A source of renewable energy
- A place for life, leisure, and recreation

In France, the National Geographic Institute (IGN), which is responsible for the national forest inventory, distinguishes between a “wood” and a “forest” based on the area of the land: the institute considers a “forest” to be any area larger than 4 hectares, while a “wood” is a smaller parcel. Whether we are speaking of “woods” or “forests,” these areas are characterized by tree stands capable of reaching more than 5 meters in height.

Since 2005, Forêt Patrimoine has supported more than 300 transactions involving forest estates ranging from 30 to over 4,000 hectares, throughout France.
Browse our available forests for sale, and explore our archives of past forest sales by region.

Who to Talk to When Buying a Forest?

In practice, there is no official centralized market for buying and selling forests. Rather, there is a network of stakeholders who publish listings and a variety of media outlets that relay them.

We carefully study the databases of French notaries in order to understand the market and provide our own analysis (see our 2022 Forest Market Report for France).
On average, between 75,000 and 80,000 hectares of forest change hands each year. In 2021, this represented 6,631 transactions.

Listings can be found in specialized publications such as Forêts de France (the magazine of the Fransylva forest owners’ federation), Forêt Mag, and Le Chasseur Français.

It is important, however, to distinguish between the market for large forests (over 50 hectares), smaller wooded parcels (4 to 50 hectares), and exceptional estates (over 500 hectares).

A Matter of Scale… The Size of Forest Areas

For forests under 50 hectares, the market is very local, and sales are most often conducted privately (off-market) or through a notary. These transactions are frequently related to land consolidation or the purchase of small parcels between neighboring landowners. In 2021, these accounted for 6,350 transactions — representing 96% of all forest sales.

For forests over 50 hectares, the market is narrower and more competitive. These forests are subject to a Plan Simple de Gestion (Simple Management Plan), valid for 25 years, which guides the owner’s decisions and sets forest management objectives to be achieved. Although these transactions make up only 4% of the total number of sales — roughly 300 per year — they represent the vast majority of the total area sold (34,600 hectares, or 96% of all forested land exchanged in 2021).

Since 2005, Forêt Patrimoine has been active in this market, assisting with more than 320 transactions representing over 65,000 hectares.

When purchasing a forest of more than 50 hectares, the most effective approach is to work with a specialist in forest sales, such as Forêt Patrimoine, who can help you ask — and answer — the right questions:
- Why am I buying?
- What surface area do I need?
- Do I prefer a deciduous forest, a coniferous forest, or does it not matter to me?
- Am I looking for a hunting estate, or is that irrelevant to my project?
- Do I want to build a complete estate with forest, château, and farmland?
- What tax benefits are available?
- Is the presence of a house, water source, or hunting lodge essential?
- To whom will I entrust the management of the forest?
- How can I identify neighboring forest owners?
- Can I sell standing timber? Or sell at roadside?

More than 500 hectares?

Each year, a few rare forest estates of more than 500 hectares change hands. Forêt Patrimoine has specialized in this type of transaction, which requires hands-on knowledge of the land, deep expertise in the forest market, and a sharp sense of negotiation.

We are fully equipped to support and manage these often complex transactions, which typically involve inventories, financial account analysis, human resources management, assessment of ongoing works, and the preparation of well-supported valuations. We also assist potential buyers in tender processes by producing detailed valuation reports.

The experts of the Comité des Forêts, located throughout France, play an essential advisory role. Depending on the situation, they contribute their expertise, helping us reach a price that is both grounded in the reality of the land and aligned with market conditions — the foundation for a smooth and balanced transaction.

In recent years, we have assisted with several exceptional transactions of this kind.

All these questions help shape your project and guide us in finding the forest that is truly right for you.
Explore our forests for sale today and discover the diversity of properties — and the dozens of owners — who have placed their trust in us.

Buying a Forest: The Seller’s Legal Obligations

Have you found the forest of your dreams? Forêt Patrimoine explains the key legal points that your seller must comply with:

Right of First Refusal for Neighboring Owners
When a landowner wishes to sell one or more wooded parcels, the owners of adjacent wooded parcels benefit from what is called a right of first refusal. This privilege applies only when the parcel being sold is under 4 hectares in size.
- Neighboring owners can therefore choose to purchase the parcel with priority.
- It is the seller’s responsibility to notify these neighbors of the upcoming sale and the proposed price.
- However, there are many exceptions to the right of first refusal for a wooded parcel.

Right of Preemption and Preference of the Municipality
- The municipality in which the property is located also has a right of preference. Unlike neighbors, it does not need to own an adjoining parcel to exercise this right.
- Regarding the right of preemption, it is not subject to the same numerous exceptions as the right of preference and actually takes priority over the neighboring owners’ right of first refusal. However, unlike the municipal right of preference, this preemption right applies only if the municipality owns an adjoining wooded parcel.

Right of Preemption of the State
- This right applies if a state-owned forest borders the parcel being sold.
- The State’s right of preemption in forestry is established by French public forest law. It allows the French government to oppose the sale of a public forest parcel and to purchase the parcel itself at a price set by a departmental preemption commission.

Buying a Forest Plot: Transaction Costs

Transfer Duties
Transfer duties apply to every transfer of real estate property, and forests are no exception.

These transfer duties — which include several taxes (departmental, municipal, etc.) — are calculated on the sale price. The buyer must also pay the notary fees.

Acquisition costs generally range between 6.5% and 7% and cannot exceed 10% of the forest’s purchase price.

Transfers for valuable consideration of shares in forest ownership groups (groupements forestiers) are subject to a fixed registration fee of €125 (since 01/01/06, Article 730 bis of the French Tax Code), in addition to notary fees and disbursements.

Forêt Patrimoine Fee Schedule

In the event of a sale, the following fees apply to the seller:
- Sale price above €4,000,000 → 4% incl. VAT*
- Sale price between €600,000 and €4,000,000 → 5% incl. VAT*
- Sale price between €200,000 and €600,000 → 6% incl. VAT*
- Sale price up to €200,000 → €15,000 incl. VAT*

*Fees payable by the seller.