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The cluster strategy centers on 3 main principles:

• Enhance the players involved to anticipate the markets from the forest to the finished product

• Improve competitiveness through cost control, innovation and promotion

• Develop and share monitoring of developments in technology and standards, seek out and anticipate market developments.

Advantages

- The Aquitaine region is one of two French centers of excellence for forestry, with a complete transformation chain, combining small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and large international concerns with an effective and progressive research and educational facilities

Forestry in Aquitaine
Companies and Jobs
- 34,000 jobs
- 1,700 companies
- 31 foreign businesses employing 6,500 people    
Production and financial indicators
- 9 million m² harvested every year
- 2.5 billion euros turnover including one billion euros from exports
Forestry-allocated land
- 1,763,000 hectares of land covered with certified woodland
- Leading forestry region in France

- Over 200 scientists

Members

Nearly 130 members

Large companies: 18

French companies: GASCOGNE WOOD, IMBERTY, ONF (government organization), PAPETERIES DE GASCOGNE, SIFLAND - Sté Industrielle Forestière, TEMBEC  R&D and TEMBEC TARTAS.
International companies: DARBO SAS, EGGER – ROL, FINSA France , FONTMARTY , GASCOGNE PAPER, ISOROY, PREMDOR, SMURFIT  KAPPA COMPTOIR DU PIN and SMURFIT KAPPA CELLULOSE DU PIN, SMURFIT KAPPA ROL PIN, Sté FORESTIERE CAISSE DEPOTS and CONSIGNATION.

55 small- and medium-sized businesses (47 of which have more than 250 employees)

13 Research or Educational Institutions  belonging to the Cap Forest organization
- Cap Forest is a partnership agreement for science and techniques connected with forestry, timber and paper in Aquitaine (2005 to 2008), which has 13 members that include universities, research organizations, technical centers and engineering colleges.
Arbora, CRPF, FCBA, CEMAGREF, CNRS , Ecole d’architecture, Ecole supérieure du bois,  ENITAB (Ecole Nationale des Ingénieurs des Travaux Agricoles de Bordeaux), INRA, Lycée Haroun Tazieff, Université Bordeaux 1, UPPA: Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour + IUT de Mont-de-Marsan Département SGM Bois.

- 36 other organizations are also members of the cluster including the Fédération des Industriels du Bois d’Aquitaine (FIBA), Consortium Cap Forest, Région Aquitaine, Direction Régionale de l’Industrie, de la Recherche et de l’Environnement (DRIRE), etc.

Current certified R&D Project Partnerships (refer to appendix)

- 23 projects were certified between 2005 and mid-2008
- Nearly 6 millions euros were granted by the Single Interministerial Fund (Fonds Unique Interministériel or FUI) between 2005 and 2007
- Over 2.5 million euros were allocated by the National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche or ANR) in 2005 to finance 3 projects  

International partnerships

Current:
•Co-operation with Canada (Quebec and Ontario), Chile, USA
•Attendance at several international exhibitions, including the China International Furniture Woodworking Machinery Exhibition or the Boston Timber and Construction Materials exhibition

Future:
•Strengthen and develop partnerships with the key  countries involved in the sector

Appendix: Selected Certified R&D projects