FAO staff
Unasylva, Volume (3) (pages 131-150), included an article, "The world's forest resources", summarizing the main findings of the 1958 world forest inventory carried out by FAO. That article included a series of world estimates prepared on the basis of the 1958 inventory and supplemented by other information available to FAO.
In Unasylva, Volume 15 (3) (pages 119-124), an article by P. V. Vassiliev, entitled "U.S.S.R. forest resources and features of their inventory", discussed the classification of forests in the U.S.S.R. and drew attention to the need for correcting the data relating to the U.S.S.R. included in the earlier article. The estimates in the following tables include revised U.S.S.R. and world totals for some of the more important elements of the inventory.1
1NOTE: For definitions and explanations, see World forest inventory, 1968 (FAO. Rome, March 1960).
TABLE A. - CLASSIFICATION OF FORESTS LAND
Region
|
Total
|
Percent of land area
|
Per inhabitant
|
In use
|
Unexploited
|
|||
Conifers
|
Nonconfiers
|
Total
|
||||||
Million hectares
|
Percent
|
Hectares
|
Million hectares
|
|||||
Europe |
141 |
30 |
0.3 |
80 |
55 |
135 |
6 |
|
U.S.S.R. |
836 |
37 |
4.1 |
319 |
140 |
459 |
377 |
|
North America |
733 |
39 |
3.8 |
252 |
148 |
400 |
333 |
|
Central America |
74 |
27 |
1.4 |
4 |
10 |
14 |
60 |
|
South America |
957 |
54 |
7.3 |
8 |
68 |
76 |
881 |
|
Africa |
753 |
25 |
3.4 |
2 |
123 |
125 |
628 |
|
Asia |
520 |
19 |
0.3 |
44 |
192 |
236 |
284 |
|
Pacific Area |
96 |
11 |
6.5 |
4 |
16 |
20 |
76 |
|
TOTAL |
4 110 |
31 |
1.5 |
713 |
752 |
1 465 |
2 645 |
TABLE: B. - GLOWING STOCK IN FORESTS-IN-USE
Region
|
Total
|
Conifers
|
Nonconifers
|
Per hectare |
||
Total |
Conifers |
Nonconifers |
||||
Million cubic meters with bark |
Cubic meters bark |
|||||
Europe |
10 780 |
7 120 |
3 660 |
80 |
90 |
65 |
U.S.S.R. |
42 813 |
34 610 |
8 203 |
107 |
125 |
68 |
North America |
36 640 |
27 140 |
9 500 |
100 |
135 |
60 |
Central America |
1 080 |
330 |
750 |
80 |
85 |
80 |
South America |
8 300 |
1 060 |
7 240 |
115 |
135 |
110 |
Africa |
5 620 |
70 |
5 550 |
46 |
30 |
45 |
Asia |
22 020 |
4 620 |
17 400 |
100 |
120 |
95 |
Pacific Area |
1 320 |
220 |
1 100 |
65 |
50 |
70 |
TOTAL |
128570 |
75170 |
53400 |
95 |
120 |
75 |
TABLE C. - DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST RESOURCES
Region
|
Forests |
Growing stock
|
|
Total |
In use |
||
Percent |
|||
Europe |
3 |
9 |
8 |
U.S.S.R. |
20 |
32 |
34 |
North America |
18 |
27 |
29 |
Central America |
2 |
1 |
1 |
South America |
23 |
5 |
6 |
Africa |
19 |
9 |
4 |
Asia |
13 |
16 |
17 |
Pacific Area |
2 |
1 |
1 |
TOTAL |
100 |
100 |
100 |