Only 7.5% of private French forests are insured against risks like fire and storm, according to a 2023 report by the General Council on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas (CGAAER). This low level of coverage is partly due to public aid programs and insurance seen as too costly or insufficient. Public forests, which are owned by the state, are not included in this statistic, as the government insures them itself. The focus, therefore, must be on the 75% of forest land owned by 3.5 million private forest owners. Since 2011, the number of insured forest areas and insurance contracts has grown by about 7% annually. This slow progress is partly attributed to a tax exemption program introduced in 2010, called DEFI Assurance, which allows private forest owners to deduct 76% of their insurance premiums from their income tax. In 2017, the French government also stopped providing public funding for forest reconstruction after storms, pushing private owners to seek private insurance. Despite these efforts, the low insurance rate remains a concern, especially with rising risks from climate change. Insurance helps cover the cost of rebuilding forests and ensures the continuation of essential ecosystem services like carbon storage and biodiversity. Protecting forest owners against financial losses can help maintain these environmental benefits for the public good. A "charity hazard" effect has been observed, where forest owners choose not to insure their land, expecting government aid after disasters. This pattern was seen after major storms like Lothar and Martin in 1999 and Klaus in 2009, when the government launched reconstruction programs. However, since 2017, the state has stopped offering such assistance, increasing the need for private insurance. Insurance rates vary by region in France. In Nouvelle-Aquitaine, for example, more forest owners have insurance, partly because the region is the largest timber producer in the country. Forest owners who follow certification standards, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), are more likely to have insurance. Additionally, having formal forest management plans increases the likelihood of signing an insurance contract. Many forest owners avoid insurance for various reasons, including a preference for insuring other assets (32%), perceiving insurance as too expensive (29%), or seeing little value in it (22%). Many would prefer multi-risk insurance policies that cover all major threats—such as storm, fire, disease, and drought—rather than separate policies for each risk. However, in France, most available insurance contracts still cover individual risks. Other countries offer useful examples. In Sweden, more than 80% of private forests are insured, and in Finland, the rate exceeds 50%. These differences may be due to variations in forest management practices, species, and cultural attitudes toward insurance. Innovations like index insurance, which uses predefined metrics to automatically trigger payouts, could simplify and speed up compensation after natural disasters. Additionally, insurance policies that reward forest owners for risk-reduction efforts, as seen in California, could also be explored.