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Stock rose again The forest resources – timber stock at record high

Stock rose again

The timber stock has reached a size not seen in many centuries. Within ten years it grew by another 7%.

Timber stock by tree species groups. Source: BMEL

With a stock of 336 cubic metres per hectare, Germany, following Switzerland and Austria, is at the top of European countries. With a total stock of 3.7 billion cubic metres, more timber is standing in German forests than in any other country in the European Union.

All types of ownership participate in this stock increase. The greatest per hectare stock – 352 cubic metres – is located in the private forests.

In the past decade, the utilization intensity in the private forests in the average of all size classes was just as high as in the state forests and exceeds it in some Länder. High stocks are a great potential. However, the amount of stocks goes hand in hand with the increase in the risk of abiotic and biotic damage and accompanying losses in value, for example through storm damages.

Change in timber stock by tree species groups. Source: BMEL

With the exception of the spruce, the stocks of individual tree species rose – the pine by 8 % (55 million cubic metres), the beech by 10 % (58 million cubic metres) and the oak by 16 % (50 million cubic metres). The greatest relative stock increase was recorded in the Douglas fir at 47 %. The Douglas fir stock rose by 24 million cubic metres on a small area. The reasons behind this high stock increase are the productivity of this tree species and the high number of vigorous young forest stands that will take a few decades to reach their harvesting age.