Forest Resource

Overview
Estonia, a generally low-lying country in north-eastern Europe with the Russian Federation to the east and the Baltic Sea to the west, is well forested, with forest and other wooded land accounting for more than half the land area. Forests are mainly of the boreal type: coniferous species make up nearly two thirds of the volume of growing stock, predominantly Scots Pine and Norway spruce. The principal broadleaved species is birch, with alder common in certain localities. Most of the forests is available for wood supply; one seventh of that is classified as plantations, the remainder as semi-natural forest. There is very little forest undisturbed by man. The area and growing stock of the forests have expanded greatly over the past 60 years or so, during which fellings were limited and Estonia´s wood needs were supplied from other parts of the former Soviet Union. Protection, multi-purpose management and biodiversity are major pillars of forest policy. The ownership structure of forests has been changing considerably as part of the overall land reform, with privatization and restitution of formerly State-owned forest land. Besides wood production, which has been increasing in recent years, hunting and other non-wood activities are important for the population.

Forest Types

Geographic Description
The Republic of Estonia lies on the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. It is bounded on the north by the Gulf of Finland (an extension of the Baltic Sea), on the east by Russia, on the south by Latvia and on the west by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga. Estonia is the smallest of the Baltic states with an area of 45 227 km2.

Estonia is chiefly a low-lying plain, with some hills in the central and southern regions. Wetlands and lakes cover approximately 25 percent of the country. Lake Peipus and the Narva River form much of Estonia’s eastern boundary. The country has more than 1500 islands, the largest of which is Saaremaa Island.

Estonia generally has cool summers and cold winters, although mild for being so far north. Temperatures rarely exceed 18°C in summer and often stay below freezing from mid-December to late February. Annual precipitation is moderate, ranging from 500 to 700 mm, with July and August being the wettest months

Ecological Zones

Forest Industry

Management

The area of forest has increased by 2.2 times, and the growing stock by 3.0 times during the last 60 years, mainly as a result of timber supplies from Russia during the last few decades. Reserved and protection forests comprise about 30 % of the forest area, where protection, multi-functional management and maintenance of biodiversity are the main principles of forestry. The ownership structure has changed considerably in the course of the land reform. As a result of the restitution and privatization processes, many land plots that had been left out of active management, now have owners. The state forests constitute about a half of the total forest area, and the restituted and privatized forests are about 19 %.

Forest Map