Portugal reports highest growth in forests at 11%

Forest growth plays a key role in the EU’s efforts to ensure sustainable forest management, support the bioeconomy and meet climate goals. However, forest growth varies widely across EU countries, largely depending on tree species and the age of forest stands. 

In 2023, Portugal registered the highest growth in forests at 11.1% (measured as net increment relative to the opening stock of timber), ahead of Denmark (7.6%) and Ireland (6.8%). At the other end of the range, Malta reported no growth, while Cyprus reported the lowest growth (1.6%), followed by Estonia and Bulgaria (both 1.8%).

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Source dataset: for_vol_efa

To assess net growth of timber stock, it is necessary to take removals and natural losses into account. 17 countries reported an increase in 2023 compared with the previous year. Ireland (+3.6%), Denmark (+3.2%) and Cyprus (+1.6%) reported the highest growth rates, while several countries experienced declines, including Lithuania (-1.8%), Czechia (-1.7%) and Estonia (-0.6%).