Fires in Gironde and Landes: management of burnt wood and aid

Following the summer 2026 fires, which devastated over 42,000 hectares in Gironde and affected Landes, the harvest of burnt wood has begun but remains hindered by a stagnant market, while the risk linked to the pine nematode raises concerns for trees not yet evacuated. In early November, the Gironde prefecture waived property tax for 1,550 forest owners affected by the Saumos megafire and reclassified their scorched plots as heathland, and the government announced aid for forest owners in Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques whose trees had been cut and immobilised to combat the pine nematode. The summer fires caused approximately 22,500 incidents with costs potentially reaching €563 million, a burden considered manageable by insurers. A European audit on the strategy to combat the pine nematode took place in Landes, where the Draaf Nouvelle-Aquitaine advocates for eradication without clear-cutting, while a golf project on a firebreak in Lège-Cap-Ferret sparked controversy and the first convoy of burnt Landes wood arrived in Ardennes. By mid-November, scientists and foresters were considering a more resilient Gironde forest, and residents joined a civil security citizen reserve.