Some forest communes, such as Libin, continue to practice affouage and therefore reserve firewood for their population at a price that defies all competition. And demand has increased further given the energy crisis.
The municipality of Libin still practices affouage: a very old right that allows residents who request it to benefit from firewood at very low prices, as long as they transform it themselves.
The affouage is a practice that dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time, the lord of the place granted the villagers the right to collect firewood from his forests. A right and a practice that persist in some forest municipalities, even today, such as Saint-Hubert and Libin.
Each year, Libin, whose territory is 70% covered with wood, therefore reserves part of its felled wood for its inhabitants. They must apply for it by January 1 and receive their batches of wood during the year. The price is ridiculous: 50 euros for 10 cubic meters of wood, whereas today the selling price is around 70 euros per cubic meter cut and delivered, or nearly 15 times less expensive via affouage.
Cheap wood but not really ready to use
Wood that is, however, not cut and delivered to the door. The inhabitants have to roll up their sleeves to pick it up and cut it up in the forest. When the affouagers arrive on the parcel concerned, the tree is already cut, and the crowns, the upper part of the tree (the least noble) are reserved for them via a specific marking carried out by the agents of the DNF, the Department of Nature and Forests. It is therefore necessary to be equipped and have time to cut it in the forest, bring it home and then dry it, cut it before burning it.
“Financially, it’s interesting but it’s not easy, it’s still physical”summarizes Philippe, one of the inhabitants who has already been able to obtain his share of affouage.
Libin has nearly 2,200 households. And this year, more than half (1,300) of them applied and signed up to get their share of affouage. The energy crisis has clearly pushed citizens towards this practice, even if it means going to great lengths to get wood and heat.
Since the beginning of this year in Libin, only 150 lots have already been distributed to households, given the demand that is clearly higher than the available wood stocks, and the fact that some operators have not yet cut down the trees whose crowns are intended for affouage. Some homes are getting impatient.
At a time of soaring fuel prices, including wood, many begin to dream that their municipality will in turn practice or return to affouage.