Forestry biomass production within a sustainable and circular bioeconomy
Brief me
- Forestry has a central role among the biomass producing sectors, providing valuable resources for the EU bioeconomy.
- Forests in the EU cover more than one third of the land area and they have been expanding since 1990, although the rate of expansion is slowing down.
- They provide many services to society, such as helping mitigate climate change, supporting biodiversity, regulating water, offering recreation areas and supplying wood.
- In 2021, 582 million m3 of wood were harvested in the EU, corresponding to ca. 75% of the net annual increment.
- Sustainable wood production implies balancing harvesting with the full range of other forest ecosystem services.
- Monitoring EU forests is key to ensuring their balanced management: the European Commission is working with Member States to harmonise data and make statistics comparable across the EU.
Find out more in the brief and explore further other resources!
Brief on forestry biomass production
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Wood resource balances of European Union and Member States
Discover uses and sources of woody biomass at EU and Member State's scale (2009-2017 data).
Sankey diagrams of woody biomass flows in the European Union
Browse the Sankey diagrams and visualise the woody biomass flows within the forest-based sector in the European Union (2009-2017 data).
The State of the World’s Forests
The biennial report carries extensive data on global forest resources and on humans’ interaction with them, while outlining strategies for reducing deforestation.
Biomass Flows
Explore the supply and use of agricultural, forestry and fisheries biomass in the EU.
Forest Information System for Europe (FISE)
Access the first common database on the state, health and sustainability of Europe’s forests and share information with the forest community.
Forest Resources and Carbon Emissions (IFORCE)
Discover the methods and assessments developed to benchmark the monitoring of forest resources and carbon emissions.
Latest knowledge
Research project discovers ways to convert forest industry’s carbon dioxide emissions into raw material for plastics – results pave way for new sustainable industry
The project investigated different technologies for producing renewable plastic raw materials from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. Renewable energy, hydrogen economy and forest industry’s biogenic...
Facts and figures for the German biomass strategy
In a joint report, six research institutes, including the Thünen Institutes of Forestry and Market Analysis, present scientific data and considerations on the potential of biomass use in Germany.
Stakeholder and expert groups on forestry
Explore platforms and working groups contributing to enhancing the EU forest-related policies