Kullervo Kuusela

Trends of European forest resources on the basis of the FAO/ECE Timber Committee resource assessments.

Kuusela K. (1993). Trends of European forest resources on the basis of the FAO/ECE Timber Committee resource assessments. Silva Fennica vol. 27 no. 2 article id 5508. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15669

Abstract

Europe’s forest area has increased 5 million ha since the late 1960s. The growing stock has increased 43% and the net annual increment 55% in exploitable forests since 1950. A part of the reported increase is caused by sampling inventories, which have been made in greater part of the countries. Sampling inventories have corrected earlier underestimates of the growing stock and the increment.

The difference between the annual net increment and fellings has increased since 1950. The net increment, 584 million m³, exceeded fellings, 408 million m³, by 176 million m³, in exploitable forests in 1990. If fellings could be increased to equal the increment, Europe would be an exporter of forest products.

A greater increase in the density, in the age and in the mean volume of forests per hectare threaten the biological stability of the growing stock. Degrading of the stock, increasing natural losses and deteriorating environmental qualities of forests can only be prevented by increased fellings and by forest regeneration.

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Keywords
growing stock; Europe; forest resources; fellings; increment

Published in 1993

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Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15669 | Download PDF