Forestry in Slovakia
On a European scale, Slovakia has reasonable forest resources. Forest accounts for 41 per cent, approximately 20,000 km², of Slovakia’s total land area of 49,000 km². Its total volume of the growing stock under bark was about one sixth of that of Finland, 462 million cubic metres (239 cubic metres per hectare). The Central and Eastern Europe Forest Information Service gathers baseline information on the Slovakian forest sector.
Slovakia’s forest resources
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| A beech forest in the Little Carpathians. Photo: Doronko |
The increase in the stand volume is due to the large share of fast-growing forests that are 50-90 years old. Beech (32 per cent of forest area) and fir (25 per cent) are the most common tree species in Slovakia. Forest resources are unevenly distributed across the country: in relative terms, most forests lie in the Žilina region in the northern parts of Slovakia.
The state owns 41 per cent of the forests, 12 per cent are privately owned and the rest are mainly under other public ownership. Privately owned woodlots are generally small, with an average size of just 2.8 hectares. Since the 1990s, the operating environment has undergone a radical change with the return of private forestry.
Manual harvesting of wood
The 2000s saw a major increase in annual harvesting. In 2010, fellings in Slovakia amounted to 10 million cubic metres, of which nearly two thirds comprised softwood, mostly fir. In some years, the harvesting focus has largely been on trees that have incurred forest damage.
Most trees are harvested manually. The machinery stock being outdated, felled trees are mainly hauled by tractor. Most forests are located in steep slopes, which makes it difficult to use machines. Transport is further complicated by a sparse road network in poor condition, which hinders efficient organisation of harvesting. Typically forest owners arrange the harvesting and transport of wood on their own. Problems related to harvesting include short contracts, a dispersed ownership structure and low levels of pay for contractors.
Production of pulp, paper and chipboard as the cornerstones of the forest industry
Production by Slovakia’s wood products industry is fairly modest – in 2011, Slovakia’s sawn timber production was around 2 million cubic metres. Chipboard accounted for a large part of wood panel production (around 0.5 million cubic metres). As for the pulp and paper industry, however, Slovakia is a big player compared to many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. In the 2000s, annual paper production volumes have come to just under a million tonnes, with printing and writing paper accounting for more than half of this. Most of the paper produced is exported, but Slovakia also imports several other types of paper. Slovakia is currently preparing a national programme for wood use, aimed at setting targets for the forest industry for the next 5–7 years.
Further information
- Researcher Juhani Marttila, tel. +358 29 532 3181, juhani.marttila(a)metla.fi
- Comparison of Outsourced Operations in Wood Procurement in Finland and Slovakia. Working papers of the Finnish Forest Research Institute 249.