Résumé
In all the Mediterranean countries concerned by this species, sustainable multifunctional management of Holm Oak (Quercus ilex L.) stands and their multi-purpose utilisation represents a constant preoccupation for forest managers who logically size up all the stakes related to this resource. Quality of standing trees and assessment of the part of standing volumes usable for later wood processing (in comparison with total volume or volume exploited for fuel wood) has been barely investigated. On a scientific point of view, Holm Oak has a great interest because of the very peculiar nature of this temperate wood: very high density and hardness (no other temperate wood species is so hard and heavy), wavy interlocked grain, massive and very frequent medullary rays (give an interesting appearance and aesthetic lustre, coupled to its clear colour and very fine texture), very low ratio between modulus of elasticity and density, high level of deformation before failure in bending test. Holm Oak is mainly and essentially used for fuel wood production and for (high quality) charcoal. According to the local customs, the quality of the resource, and on an ad hoc basis, Holm Oak is (more or less) already used at a very local level by small scale industry. The level of added value depends on the country. As in the other Euro-Mediterranean countries, French Southern regions locally utilize Holm Oak wood for specific products, cart wheel naves in rural areas, tools handles, planes, gears. A R&D operation has been recently performed by Cirad-Forêt in order to determine the possibilities of value-added utilization of local Holm Oak for flooring. Some selection criteria concerning log size, log shape and presence of unacceptable defects, have been identified, taking into account the present felling practices of the loggers. All in all, 250 hectares of Holm Oak coppice have been inventoried in the Languedoc-Roussillon region and the total volume of Holm Oak interesting for later wood processing has been assessed. Moreover, the study allowed to improve some processing parameters and to identify some variability factors of wood characteristics as colour (through colorimetric analysis) and hardness according to the wood origin. This operation has brought to the fore some possibilities of Holm Oak application through the manufacturing of a demonstration floor for the new meeting room of the Centre Régional de la Propriété Forestière. The SME involved into this operation has begun to define its own processing parameters. Marketing study of this type of products has been carried out and has shown the economic potentialities of such a production due to the attractive feature of the first end-products submitted to consumers. (Texte intégral)