In 1947 FAO undertook an investigation into the forest resources of the world. Special questionnaires, designed with the help of two international conferences on forest statistics, were sent by the Director-General to all countries. The results of the inquiry were published in UNASYLVA, Volume II, No. 4, July-August 1948.
Since that date, several countries which were not then in a position to provide the desired information have returned their inventory questionnaires to FAO. In order that all those interested may have access to these valuable additional data, they are presented in the following tables, which correspond to Tables 4-10 in the original study. Replies received from countries included in the earlier report, plus those now reported, cover two-thirds of the land area of the world.
While FAO's inquiry has resulted in the collection of a useful series of relatively comparable statistics, it has also served to emphasize the great need in many countries for far more complete information than exists at present regarding the extent and composition of forest resources. FAO is now preparing a booklet on the planning of: national forest inventories, which, it is hoped, will be useful to national authorities who may be required to organize large inventory projects, perhaps for the first time.
As FAO intends to undertake a further inquiry into world forest resources within a few years, attention must also be given to revising and improving the inventory questionnaire. The regional Forestry and Forest Products Commissions which have been established by FAO will, it is hoped, be able to give valuable advice on this subject.
Table 1. - Land classification *
Table 2. - Classification of productive forests *
Table 3. - Ownership of productive forests *
Continent and Country |
Total Productive Forest |
Publicly Owned Forests |
Forest Owned by Institutions |
Privately Owned Forest |
||||
State Forest |
Communal Forest |
Total Public |
||||||
Fellings Permitted |
Fellings Prohibited |
|||||||
EUROPE |
||||||||
|
Italy |
5,615 |
141 |
- |
1,570 |
1,711 |
308 |
3,596 |
AFRICA |
||||||||
|
Algeria |
1,906 |
1,485 |
27 |
110 |
1,622 |
- |
284 |
|
South-West Africa |
5,176 |
- |
1,860 |
1 3,186 |
5,046 |
- |
130 |
ASIA |
||||||||
|
South Korea |
6,420 |
2 1,433 |
... |
... |
1,433 |
... |
4,987 |
* Corresponding to Table 6, UNASYLVA, Vol. II, No. 4 (July-August 1948).
- None.
... Not available.
1 Reserved for benefit of native tribes.
2 Includes all State forests.
Table 4. - Growing stocks in accessible productive forests *
Continent and Country |
Total Volume |
Average Stand per Hectare |
|||||
All Species |
Conifers |
Broadleaved |
All Species |
Conifers 1 |
Broadleaved 1 |
||
|
Million m³ (r) |
m³ (r) |
|||||
EUROPE |
|||||||
|
Italy |
299 |
104 |
195 |
54 |
94 |
44 |
AFRICA |
|||||||
|
Algeria |
20 |
9 |
11 |
12 |
14 |
11 |
|
Northern Rhodesia 2 |
3 |
- |
3 |
11 |
- |
11 |
|
South-West Africa 2 |
3 |
- |
3 |
25 |
- |
25 |
ASIA |
|||||||
|
Turkey |
159 |
94 |
65 |
53 |
50 |
59 |
* Corresponding to Table 7, UNASYLVA, Vol. II, No. 4, (July-August 1948).1 Based on areas actually bearing these species. One-half of the mixedwood areas reported in the table "Classification of Productive Forests," is treated as coniferous and one-half as broadleaved.
2 Commercially exploitable species only.
Table 5. - Average annual growth and annual drain *