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PART IV - FORESTRY IN REGIONAL ECONOMIC GROUPS

European Union (EU)

MEMBERS

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

DESCRIPTION OF THE FOREST SECTOR

Almost one-third of the region is covered with forest, ranging from boreal to Mediterranean scrub forest. About 70 percent of the forests are located in four countries: Sweden, Finland, France and Germany. Although the EU has only 3 percent of the world's forest area, it is a leading producer of wood-based products, in particular paper and panels. It is a major trader, accounting for 38 percent and 37 percent of the value of world exports and imports of wood-based products, respectively. Sweden, Finland, Germany, France and Austria are among the world's top ten exporters of forest products, and Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium/Luxembourg are among the top ten importers.

 

Forest resources

Land area (thousand ha)

313 187

Total forest area, 1995 (thousand ha)

102 797

Percent of land in forest (%)

32.8

Forest area per caput (ha)

0.3

Annual change in forest area, 1990-1995 (thousand ha)

340

Percent annual change, 1990-1995 (%)

0.3

 

Production of wood-based products (1996)

Product

Quantity

% of world total

Fuelwood and charcoal

36 360a

2

Industrial roundwood

214 726a

14

Sawnwood

67 545a

16

Wood panels

33 442a

22

Pulp for paper

30 661b

17

Paper and paperboard

69 826b

25

 

International forest products trade - quantity and value (1996)

Product

 

Export value

 

Import value

 

Export quantity

thousand US$

% of world total

Import quantity

thousand US$

% of world total

Fuelwood and charcoal

825a

40 716

14

2 389a

131 475

47

Industrial roundwood

18 218a

1 247 726

11

38 262a

2 835 664

21

Sawnwood

28 211a

6 661 403

26

30 074a

8 043 756

31

Wood panels

12 082a

4 809 355

30

12 689a

5 296 080

33

Pulp for paper

7 365b

3 714 319

23

13 250b

7 056 350

38

Paper and paperboard

35 151b

35 451 900

55

29 800b

27 161 160

44

a Thousand m3.
b Thousand tonnes.

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