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EU timber stock is growing

14 million hectares more forest area than in 1990!

In the wake of a new comprehensive report by the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it was announced that EU forests have grown by 14 million hectares since 1990. Overall, forest area has expanded from 145 to 159 million hectares in 30 years.

Central Europe is one of the regions with the highest timber stocks in the world. In Austria, the average wood stock of almost 300 solid cubic meters is more than twice the global average. Overall, the domestic timber stock has increased by half in the last 50 years and has reached an all-time high of almost 1.2 billion solid cubic meters.

Fourteen million hectares more forest than in 1990! | Hargassner

This ensures that residual wood can be used as a climate-neutral energy source. However, it is important not to use more wood from the forest than will grow back in the same time – this principle is implemented in an exemplary manner within the EU. The EU’s top five countries in particular are leading the way in this respect – these include Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Denmark, as well as Austria. In recent years, these countries have been able to increase the use of renewable energy while simultaneously increasing forest cover by more than 30 percent.

“Our forest is a habitat for animals and plants, a recreational and leisure oasis, provides protection against natural hazards, supplies us with drinking water and clean air, and provides wood and energy. In addition, it makes an indispensable contribution to climate protection. With this multifunctional forest management, we clearly differ from other parts of the world, where some forest areas are placed under total protection, but others are operated as pure timber factories in the form of intensive plantation management” , says Franz Titschenbacher, president of the Austrian Biomass Association, about the multifunctional forest.

We are also committed to increasing the number of trees in the EU. With our project ‘Tree Worlds‘ we support organizations that deal with reforestation in different regions worldwide.