Increment and fellings
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| Net annual increment of growing stock and annual fellings in
Europe (1950–2010). Sources: Kuusela (1994). Forest Resources in
Europe 1950–1990; State of Europe’s Forest 2011. |
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| Annual increment of growing stock (1935–2010) and annual drain
in Finland (1950–2010). |
The balance between annual increment and drain of growing
stock is the principal indicator of the sustainability of wood
production. The total drain may not exceed the increment in
the long term.
Both in Europe and in Finland the annual increment of growing
stock has exceeded the fellings of wood from forests at least by
one fourth on average since the 1970s. Over the same period
the growing stock has increased by more than 40%. In the last
years the wood market has been in crisis and this influences the
trend of marketed roundwood removals.
In Finland during the last 40 years period wood equivalent to
the current volume of the tree stock, 2,200 million cubic metres,
has been harvested and used. This leads to the conclusion
that systematic work on sustainable forest management, forest
planning, active participation of forest owners and governmental
support are been successful.
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