Forest lands and their development trends

Forest lands, FLs, are divided into classes as follows.

1. Forest (closed forest)

2. Exploitable EF

3. Unexploitable UEF

4. Other wooded land OWL

In principle, forest land represents sites capable of growing closed stands. In Northern Europe, the minimum yield of fully closed stands during rotation is defined to be 1 m3 per hectare and per year. Other wooded land can only grow scattered and stunted trees and bushes. Wetlands, stony mineral sites, and sites above the latitudinal and elevational boundary of closed forests are examples of other wooded land proper. Poor stocking, especially in Mediterranean Europe, is used as an additional criterion in defining the boundary between forest land and other wooded land.

Exploitable forest is primarily managed to serve the wood-producing function. Multi-benefit management, however, is common in large areas of exploitable forest. In unexploitable forests wood production proper is not economically feasible or it is restricted or prohibited because of functions other than production.

The total area of forest lands in Europe, 195 million ha, comprises 77% of forest and 23% other wooded land (Table 2.1). Other wooded land is concentrated in Northern Europe because of climatic and latitudinal effects and also elevational tundra, and in Mediterranean Europe (Table 2.2).

A significant part of the total area of other wooded land in Mediterranean Europe, 36 million ha, is a huge land reserve, should the increasing of forest and its biomass come to be considered a desirable objective.