[Index]
Myths of the European forest
Geneva, 3 October 2001
There are many mistaken perceptions of the state of forests
in Europe and elsewhere. Specialists of the forest sector know they are
simplifications or distortions of the real situation but they persist
stubbornly in the minds of the public. The State of the World’s Forests 2001,
launched today in Geneva, presents the best ever data set on the world’s
forests (FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment). UNECE contributed to
this work and takes this opportunity to correct some of the myths about Europe’s
forests.
Myth 1: Europe’s forests are not significant
Russia’s forest area is the world’s largest (851
million ha, a fifth of the world’s total), and in the rest of the region,
forests cover about 38% of the land area, conserving biodiversity, protecting
against erosion, and providing employment, recreation, wood and a wide range
of other goods and services, many of them not yet economically valued. This
counteracts their relative lack of importance in conventional GDP
calculations.
Myth 2: Europe’s forests are shrinking
The shrinking of Europe’s forests stopped in most
countries between the 19th and 20th centuries. They are
now expanding by about 880 thousand ha a year, mostly through natural
extension onto former agricultural land, but also through plantation
programmes. Conversion of forest to other uses is severely limited everywhere.
The expansion of European forests contributes to a globally lower net loss of
forests in the 1990s compared with the 1980s.
Myth 3: Europe’s forests are publicly owned
In fact 47% of the regions’ forest (excluding the former
Soviet Union, where forest is still all publicly owned) is in private hands,
mostly by millions of forest owners with less than 5 ha of forest each. Their
number is increasing as restitution and privatisation of forests continues in
some countries in transition.
Myth 4: Most forests in Europe are natural
Russian forests are mostly natural, but elsewhere in the
region, most forest is "semi-natural", which includes a wide range
of forest types all influenced to a greater or lesser extent by human actions
over hundreds of years.
Myth 5: The only threat to Europe’s forests is air
pollution
Air pollution is a major concern as yet not well
understood. However there are other important causes of damage:
· fires (about 200,000 ha/year in southern Europe, up
to 7 million ha/year in Russia),
· damage by insects and game, and
· severe climatic events (e.g. the hurricanes in
December 1999 which blew down the equivalent of three years harvest in two
days).
Myth 6: Europe’s forests are being over-cut
Less than two thirds of the annual growth of Europe’s
forests (excluding Russia) is harvested, so that the volume of wood contained
in the forests is growing steadily. In Russia, only 14% of the growth is
harvested. As a consequence, the forests of Europe and the CIS are
sequestering large amounts of carbon, about 540 million tons per year.
Sources
State of the World’s Forests 2001, FAO, 2001
Forest resources of Europe, CIS, North America, Australia,
Japan and New Zealand, UNECE/FAO contribution to the Global Forest Resources
Assessment 2000, United Nations, 2000
Background
A small group of FAO and UNECE specialists, based in
Geneva, contribute to FAO’s global forest programmes, and service UNECE and
FAO cooperation on forests and timber in the European region.
For further information please contact:
Kit Prins
Chief, Timber Section
UNECE Trade Division
Palais des Nations
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 22 917 2874
Fax: +41 22 917 0041
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.unece.org/trade/timber
Key data for European countries from SOFO 2001
Country/Area |
Land area |
Total forest 2000 |
|
|
Forest cover change, 1990-2000 |
| |
|
Area |
Percentage of land area |
Area per caput |
Annual change |
| |
('000 ha) |
('000 ha) |
% |
ha |
('000 ha) |
Albania |
2,740 |
991 |
36.2 |
0.3 |
-8 |
Andorra |
45 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Austria |
8,273 |
3,886 |
47.0 |
0.5 |
8 |
Belarus |
20,748 |
9,402 |
45.3 |
0.9 |
256 |
Belgium & Luxembourg |
3,282 |
728 |
22.2 |
0.1 |
-1 |
Bosnia & Herzegovina |
5,100 |
2,273 |
44.6 |
0.6 |
n.s. |
Bulgaria |
11,055 |
3,690 |
33.4 |
0.4 |
20 |
Croatia |
5,592 |
1,783 |
31.9 |
0.4 |
2 |
Czech Republic |
7,728 |
2,632 |
34.1 |
0.3 |
1 |
Denmark |
4,243 |
455 |
10.7 |
0.1 |
1 |
Estonia |
4,227 |
2,060 |
48.7 |
1.5 |
13 |
Finland |
30,459 |
21,935 |
72.0 |
4.2 |
8 |
France |
55,010 |
15,341 |
27.9 |
0.3 |
62 |
Germany |
34,927 |
10,740 |
30.7 |
0.1 |
n.s. |
Greece |
12,890 |
3,599 |
27.9 |
0.3 |
30 |
Hungary |
9,234 |
1,840 |
19.9 |
0.2 |
7 |
Iceland |
10,025 |
31 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
1 |
Ireland |
6,889 |
659 |
9.6 |
0.2 |
17 |
Italy |
29,406 |
10,003 |
34.0 |
0.2 |
30 |
Latvia |
6,205 |
2,923 |
47.1 |
1.2 |
13 |
Liechtenstein |
15 |
7 |
46.7 |
0.2 |
n.s. |
Lithuania |
6,258 |
1,994 |
31.9 |
0.5 |
5 |
Malta |
32 |
n.s. |
n.s. |
- |
n.s. |
Netherlands |
3,392 |
375 |
11.1 |
n.s. |
1 |
Norway |
30,683 |
8,868 |
28.9 |
2.0 |
31 |
Poland |
30,442 |
9,047 |
29.7 |
0.2 |
18 |
Portugal |
9,150 |
3,666 |
40.1 |
0.4 |
57 |
Republic of Moldova |
3,296 |
325 |
9.9 |
0.1 |
1 |
Romania |
23,034 |
6,448 |
28.0 |
0.3 |
15 |
Russian Federation |
1,688,851 |
851,392 |
50.4 |
5.8 |
135 |
San Marino |
6 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Slovakia |
4,808 |
2,177 |
45.3 |
0.4 |
18 |
Slovenia |
2,012 |
1,107 |
55.0 |
0.6 |
2 |
Spain |
49,945 |
14,370 |
28.8 |
0.4 |
86 |
Sweden |
41,162 |
27,134 |
65.9 |
3.1 |
1 |
Switzerland |
3,955 |
1,199 |
30.3 |
0.2 |
4 |
The FYR of Macedonia |
2,543 |
906 |
35.6 |
0.5 |
n.s. |
Ukraine |
57,935 |
9,584 |
16.5 |
0.2 |
31 |
United Kingdom |
24,160 |
2,794 |
11.6 |
n.s. |
17 |
Yugoslavia |
10,200 |
2,887 |
28.3 |
0.3 |
-1 |
Total Europe |
2,259,957 |
1,039,251 |
46.0 |
1.4 |
881 |
Ref: ECE/TIM/01/02