FOREST EUROPE FACTSEuropean Forests Resources

FOREST EUROPE regularly analyses and presents informa-tion on forest conditions in the pan-European region. The latest report, the “State of Europe’s Forests 2011” jointly prepared with UNECE and FAO, emphasizes that sustain-able forest management has led to measurable positive e�ects on our environment and society.

Increasing Forest Area

Compared to some regions of deforestation, Europe’s forest area and wood resources continue to grow. Forests cover about 45 percent of the European land (1.02 billion hectares). Europe has about 25 percent of the world’s forests, out of which 80 percent is in the Russian Federation. Over the last 20 years, the forest area has expanded in all European regions and has gained 0,8 million hectares per year.

Historical development in forest resources

In almost all the countries, the net annual increment is higher than the annual fellings. In the European region, approximately 40 percent of increment is utilized. In the Russian Federation the felling rate has decreased from 41 percent in 1990 and stabilized around 20 percent since 2000. In Europe without the Russian Federation, the felling rate increased from 58percent in 1990 to 62 percent in 2020.

Between 2005 and 2010, photosynthesis and tree biomass growth in European countries annually removed about 870 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere, about 10 percent of the greenhouse emissions in 2008 in these countries.

Forest-related goods and services

In 2010, more than 878 million cubic metres of roundwood were produced. The overall value of marketed roundwood is still increasing and reached EUR 21.1 billion in 2010.

Non-wood goods can also be an important source of local income. The total reported value of marketed non-wood products amounts to EUR 2.7 billion, and has almost tripled since the 2007 assessment. More than one ��h of European forests are managed primarily to protect water, soil and infrastructure.

Biodiversity conservation

Protected forests are important to maintain and enhance biodiversity, as well as to conserve landscape and provide recreation opportunities. The area of protected forests in Europe has increased by around half million hectares annu-ally over the last 10 years thanks to policies to improve biodiversity. In Europe (without the Russian Federation), about 10 percent of forests are protected to conserve biodi-versity and about 9 percent to protect landscape. Both areas account for a total area of 39 million hectares.

There is an increasing use of natural regeneration and mixed tree species. In several countries, long-term monitor-ing of threatened forest species has reduced their decline.

FOREST EUROPE has developed common strategies for its 46 participating countries and the European Union to protect and sustainably manage forests. It aims at maximising the contribution of Europe’s forests to the ecological, social and economic well-being of the continent and the rest of world.

Forest health and vitality

Sulphur deposition has decreased over the last decade. However, in many parts of Europe there is tendency to acidi�cation and eutrophication of soil. Crown defoliations is a key factor which indicates the health condition of a tree. Roughly 20 percent of all tress which assessed in 2009 showed a mean defoliation of 25 percent or more and were thus classi�ed as damaged or dead. Insects and diseases are the damaging agents the most frequently observed in European forests. One percent of the European forest area is a�ected by one or more damaging agents (6 percent for Europe without the Russian Federation). Damage due to storms, wind and snow are mainly observed in Central-West, central-East, North and South-West Europe, while damage due to forest �res has mainly been reported for the Russian Federation, South-West and South East Europe.

FOREST EUROPE – The Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe

FOREST EUROPE is the pan-European policy process for the sustainable management of the continent’s forests. It develops common strate-gies for its 46 participating countries and the European Union on how to protect and sustain-ably manage forests. More than 40 international organisations and countries from other regions are observers. Founded in 1990, the continuous cooperation of FOREST EUROPE has led to achievements such as the guidelines and criteria for sustainable forest management..

With the Oslo Ministerial Decision ‘European Forests 2020’, FOREST EUROPE has adopted a new mission and vision for forest in Europe, where they contribute e�ectively to sustain-able development, through ensuring human well-being, a healthy environment and economic development in Europe and across the globe. Moreover, ministers took a historical decision and launched negotiations on a Legal-ly Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe.

High-priority topics are to step up e�orts and further consolidate the pan-European policies and tools for sustainable forest management, improve the basis for forest monitoring and harmonized reporting systems, strength e�orts for good governance and forest law enforce-ment, develop a common approach to valua-tion of forest ecosystem services and foster its use, and negotiate a legally binding agreement on forests in Europe.

FOREST EUROPE Signatory Countries

More information and detailed data can be found in the report State of Europe’s Forests 2011 on the FOREST EUROPE website: www.foresteurope.org and http://www.-f o r e s t e u r o p e . o r g / e n g / S t a t e _ o f _ E u r o p e s _ F o r e s t s _ R e -port_2011/Report/

FOREST EUROPEMinisterial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe. Liaison Unit Madrid.

Julián Camarillo 6B 4A28037 - Madrid, SpainT +34 914458410 F +34 913226170liaison.unit.madrid@foresteurope.org