The good news is that European forests continue to grow: according to the 2025-2026 Annual Report of the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS), an organization representing about 80% of European sawn timber production, European forests today cover over 232 million hectares, equal to 35.4% of the continent’s land area, and in the last 35 years have grown by more than 23 million hectares, with an average increase of about 665 thousand hectares each year. At the same time, the European forest heritage has reached 38.3 billion cubic meters of wood stock, an increase of about 45% compared to 1990.
Read more Zelensky announces a government reshuffle and replaces the prime minister
Ask the Sun
The questions are automatically suggested by 24Ore AI
based on the content viewed.
Yet, and this is the less good news, the availability of raw material for the wood industry remains one of the main challenges for the competitiveness of the supply chain and for Europe’s sustainability goals, as emerged from the Forest-Wood General States organized in Bologna by Filiera Legno (an association representing almost 600 companies in the wood industry), bringing together institutions, public decision-makers, representatives of the forestry world, companies, professionals, designers, universities, and research centers.
In 2020, the forest-wood system generated over 113 billion euros of added value and employed about 2.4 million people across forestry activities, primary processing, and related industries.
Read more Glovo and Deliveroo, riders on strike in Florence: «Wages getting lower and lower»
The paradox of Italy
If this is the picture at the European level, Italy has its own characteristics: despite having a forest area in constant growth and one of the largest forest assets in Europe, our country continues to depend significantly on imports of wood raw material. In 2024, about 1.47 million cubic meters of round material were imported, while the national consumption of conifer sawn timber remains around 5.45 million cubic meters.
Alongside this dependence on foreign sources, however, encouraging signs emerge: national production of conifer sawn timber has started to grow again and today approaches one million cubic meters, confirming the strategic role of Italian sawmills in enhancing the national forest resource.
Read more Sicilian bubbles, the network is born to attract wine tourists
