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Data from October 2010, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.

This article presents statistics on forestry and logging in the European Union (EU). The EU-27 has approximately 178 million hectares of forests and other wooded land, corresponding to 42 % of its land area, and forest cover is gradually increasing.

Main statistical findings

Table 1: Wood production
(1 000 m³)
Figure 1: Annual production of roundwood, EU-27 (1)
(1 000 m³)
Figure 2: Roundwood production and gross value added of forestry and logging, 2008 (1)
Figure 3: Volume of work per area of exploited forest, 2008 (1)
(annual work units per 1 000 hectares)

From 1994 to 2007, there was a relatively steady rise in the level of roundwood production in the EU-27, both for coniferous (softwood) and non-coniferous (broadleaved or hardwood) species – see Figure 1. However, the effects of the economic and financial crisis led to the level of coniferous production falling in 2008 and this was confirmed with a further reduction in 2009, when non-coniferous production also fell. Nevertheless, the overall level of roundwood production in the EU-27 in 2009 remained 47.6 million m³ higher than in 1994.

Some of the peaks (most recently 2000, 2005 and 2007) in roundwood production are due to forestry and logging having to cope with unplanned numbers of trees that were felled by severe storms. The 415.1 million m³ of roundwood produced in the EU-27 in 2008 was almost 10 % less than the relative peak recorded in 2007. This latest relative peak was due to exceptional windthrows by storms in many parts of Europe – notably in Germany and Sweden – after which many more trees had to be removed from forests than planned. In 2009, roundwood production declined by a further 5.6 % to 391.9 million m³. Among the Member States, Sweden produced the most roundwood (65.1 million m³), followed by Germany, France and Finland (each producing between 42 million and 57 million m³) - see Table 1.

Approximately 25 % of roundwood production is used as wood for fuel and 75 % is industrial roundwood that is used either for sawnwood and veneers, or for pulp and paper production.

Some 91.0 million m³ of sawnwood were produced in the EU-27 in 2009, 40 % of which came from the two largest producing Member States; Germany (22.7 %) and Sweden (17.8 %), while Austria, Finland and France each accounted for around 9 % of the EU-27 total. The level of sawnwood production in the EU-27 in 2009 was 21.9 % lower than in 2007.

There is a strong link between the volume of roundwood produced and the value added generated by forestry and logging, and this is also the case concerning a link between the number of annual work units (AWU) and value added. However, it is worth noting that the number of AWU per area of exploited forest varies significantly between countries, ranging from more than ten AWU per 1 000 hectares in the Czech Republic to only around one AWU per 1 000 hectares in Finland and Norway (see Figure 3). Forestry and logging work in mountainous areas generally requires a higher labour input than on large tracts of flat land.

Data sources and availability

Eurostat, the Timber Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Forestry Section of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) collect and collate statistics on the production and trade of wood through their Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire. Each partner collects data from a different part of the world. Eurostat is responsible for data from the EU Member States and EFTA countries.

Roundwood production is a synonym for removals; it comprises all quantities of wood removed from forests and other wooded land or other felling sites during a given period; it is reported in cubic metres (m³) underbark (in other words, excluding bark). Sawnwood production is wood that has been produced either by sawing lengthways or by a profile-chipping process and that exceeds 6 mm in thickness; it includes for example planks, beams, joists, boards, rafters, scantlings, laths, boxboards and lumber, in the following forms – unplaned, planed, and end-jointed; it is reported in cubic metres of solid volume.

Economic and employment data for forestry and logging are collected with a separate questionnaire that was developed in collaboration with Eurostat’s national accountants; these statistics are part of integrated environmental and economic accounting for forests.

Context

Contrary to what is happening in many other parts of the world, forest cover in the EU-27 is slowly increasing. The area covered by forests and other wooded land increased by 0.3 % annually over the period 1990 to 2005. The EU-27's forests and other wooded land cover approximately the same proportion of land area as that used for agriculture.

Ecologically, the forests within the EU belong to many different biogeographical regions and have adapted to a variety of natural conditions, ranging from bogs to steppes and from lowland to alpine forests. Socioeconomically, they vary from small family holdings to state forests or large estates owned by companies, many as part of industrial wood supply chains; about 60 % of the EU-27’s wooded land is privately owned.

In 2006 the European Commission presented an EU forest action plan (COM(2006) 302) which underpins support for sustainable forest management and the multi-functional role of forests. The plan is a framework for forest-related measures and is used to coordinate EU initiatives with the forest policies of the Member States. There are 18 key actions proposed – to be implemented jointly with the Member States during the period 2007 to 2011. The plan focuses on four main objectives:

  • improving long-term competitiveness;
  • improving and protecting the environment;
  • contributing to the quality of life;
  • fostering coordination and communication.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
Forestry (t_for)
Gross value added of the forestry industry, at basic prices (tag00058)
Total roundwood production (tag00072)
Total sawnwood production (tag00073)
Total paper and paperboard production (tag00074)
Forest increment and fellings (tsdnr520)
Forest trees damaged by defoliation (tsdnr530)

Database

Removals, production and trade (for_rpt)
Roundwood removals and production (for_rptr)
Roundwood production and trade (for_rptt)
Production and trade in primary products (for_rptp)
Trade in secondary processed products (for_rpts)
Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting for Forests (for_ieeaf)
Economic accounts for forestry (Series end in 2005) (for_eaf)
Sustainable forest management (for_sfm)
Assets (for_sfmas)
Environmental aspects (for_sfmen)

Dedicated section

Methodology/Metadata

  • Forestry [ESMS metadata file - for_esms]

Other information

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

External links

See also

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