European forests grew by 37% since 1950. That's an area the size of Hungary and Slovakia combined. Every single day, European forests expand by the equivalent of 1,500 football pitches.
Did you know that? Most people don't. Surveys show only 39% of Europeans understand their forests are growing, not shrinking.
We achieved something remarkable. Then we forgot to tell anyone about it.
In my previous article, I argued forestry lost the PR battle while perfecting sustainable management. We let environmental groups control the narrative for 30 years. But there's another side to this story. We didn't just fail at communication. We also accumulated an extraordinary record of achievements that deserve celebration.
This article isn't about what we did wrong. It's about what we did right—and still do—that the world doesn't know.
The Numbers Nobody Talks About
Let's start with the facts that should be on every forestry association's homepage but aren’t:
EU forests now cover 160 million hectares. That's 39% of EU land area. Since 1990 alone, we added 14 million hectares. Growing stock increased 138% since 1950, reaching 28.6 billion m3 in 2022.
Here's the sustainability proof that matters: we harvest only 66% of what grows each year. Every year since 1961, annual felling has been smaller than annual increment. European forests keep getting bigger while we use them. That's not exploitation. That's sustainable management working.
The carbon numbers are equally impressive. EU forests absorb around 332 million tonnes of CO2 annually. The total carbon stock in EU forest biomass has nearly tripled since 1950, reaching 10 billion tonnes. Globally, forests function as a net carbon sink of 7.6 billion tonnes CO2 per year—equivalent to 1.5 times total US annual emissions. These aren't marginal contributions. These are planetary-scale achievements.
What We Actually Provide
The forestry sector delivers benefits across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Yet we rarely communicate this comprehensively.
Forests do far more than store carbon. They purify water. New York City invested $1.5 billion in protecting forested watersheds. The alternative? Building a $6-8 billion filtration plant. Forests provided the same service naturally. They clean air. US forests alone remove 17.4 million tonnes of pollution annually. The health benefit: $6.8 billion saved, 850 deaths prevented, 670,000 acute respiratory symptoms avoided. Every year. They protect soil. They regulate floods. They maintain biodiversity. Forest ecosystem services contribute 47.5% of total ecosystem service value in the EU. Forests are nine times more valuable per hectare than urban land for these services. We don't just grow trees. We maintain the infrastructure that keeps ecosystems functioning.
The numbers regarding economic contributions surprise even industry insiders. The EU forest-based sector employs 3.6 million people directly. Add indirect effects, and every forestry job creates 1.5 to 2.5 additional jobs in the broader economy. Globally, 33 million people work in formal and informal forest sectors.
The economic value is substantial. EU forestry and logging generates €27.9 billion in gross value added. The paper and pulp industry contributes €100 billion. Woodworking industries add €152-194 billion. Globally, the forest sector contributes $1.52 trillion to national economies.
Non-wood forest products deserve mention too. Berries, mushrooms, game, cork, and resins generate €23.3 billion annually in Europe—70% of roundwood value. These products support rural livelihoods that would otherwise disappear.
For 1.6 billion people worldwide, forests provide essential subsistence. In many rural regions, forestry is not just an industry. It's the economic foundation.
Social benefits is where forestry's contribution becomes personal.
Mental health research now validates what forest workers have always known. Forest visits reduce stress hormones by 12% compared to urban environments. Three-day forest stays increase natural killer cells—immune cells that fight tumours—by 50%. UK researchers estimate woodland visits could save £141 million annually in mental health treatment costs in England alone.
Over 70% of European forests are open for public recreation. This generates €5-9 billion annually in recreational value from Natura 2000 sites alone. When people walk through our "open factory," they're not just seeing trees. They're accessing free healthcare.
Forest education has exploded. The UK now has 5,000 qualified Forest School leaders working in 3,500 settings. Northern Ireland counts 270 accredited Forest Schools reaching 5,000 students monthly. Demand doubled after COVID-19. Children in forest schools show improved confidence, social skills, and attention spans. We're not just producing timber. We're producing healthier, better-educated citizens.
If any achievement deserves more recognition, it's certification.
Globally, over 400 million hectares of forest are now certified under FSC or PEFC. In Europe, 51% of forests carry certification. Croatia leads at 100%. Austria follows at 83%. Finland at 82%.
This represents an unprecedented voluntary commitment to sustainable practices. No regulation forced this. The industry did it anyway. And it's working. Consumer recognition of the FSC logo reaches 46% globally—the highest of any forest certification. Among 18-24 year-olds, recognition is even higher. We built a sustainability verification system that consumers actually recognise. That's an achievement. We should say so more often.
Forestry's climate contribution operates through three channels. We mention the first. We ignore the other two.
Channel one: forest carbon sinks. EU forests absorb around 6% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions. Important, but often the only number we cite.
Channel two: substitution effects. When wood replaces concrete or steel, emissions drop. Research shows European wood products create 410 million tonnes CO2 equivalent per year in substitution benefits. That's comparable to the entire forest carbon sink. Cross-laminated timber buildings reduce lifecycle emissions by 40% compared to traditional materials. We don't just store carbon. We enable entire sectors to reduce their emissions.
Channel three: carbon storage in harvested wood products. Long-lived timber stores carbon for decades to centuries. This contributes 40 million tonnes CO2 equivalent annually to EU climate accounts—roughly 10% of the forest sink.
The complete picture: forests absorbing carbon, wood products replacing high-emission materials, and timber storing carbon in buildings. Three contributions, not one. Why do we only talk about the first?
Something remarkable is happening that most people outside the industry haven't noticed: wood is replacing fossil-based materials across industries.
UPM's €1.3 billion biorefinery in Leuna, Germany produces lignin-based materials that replace carbon black in tyres. Metsä Group's textile fibre plant produces cellulose fibres replacing synthetic textiles. Stora Enso's packaging foam replaces polystyrene. These aren't pilot projects. These are commercial-scale operations.
The cross-laminated timber market in Europe reached €590 million in 2023, growing 9-14% annually. Wood-based textile fibres represent a $40 billion global market.
Forestry is becoming the foundation of the post-fossil economy. We're not just a traditional industry adapting. We're enabling the industrial transformation that climate targets require. This should be the headline. Instead, most media coverage focuses on "deforestation concerns."
We have the achievements. We lack the storytelling.
Part of this is structural. Forestry is fragmented. Thousands of small and medium operators lack resources for professional communications. Trade associations focus on policy, not public relations.
Part is cultural. Foresters are trained in science, not storytelling. We're comfortable with data. We're uncomfortable with narratives. We publish technical reports. Environmental groups publish emotional campaigns.
Part is strategic. We've been defensive for decades. Responding to attacks rather than proactively telling our story. When you're always defending, you never get to celebrate. But the biggest problem may be simpler: we assume people know. We assume the public understands that European forests are growing. That certification means something. That sustainable harvest rates exist. That wood products store carbon. They don't. Finnish research confirms a "relatively high share" of survey respondents feel "rather little informed about forests and forestry." The European Commission found most people perceive European forests to be in worse condition than in reality. We have achieved extraordinary things. But we simply haven't told anyone.
Other industries offer lessons. The renewable energy sector succeeds through clear value propositions and strong brand narratives. "Clean energy" is a story everyone understands. What's forestry's equivalent? "Sustainable forest management" doesn't resonate the same way. Agriculture has moved toward transparency. Farm-to-table storytelling. Behind-the-scenes content. Direct consumer relationships through community-supported agriculture models. Electric vehicles became aspirational through sophisticated marketing. Tesla didn't explain battery chemistry. Rather they made EVs desirable. Forestry needs similar approaches. Visual storytelling showing forest-to-product journeys. Interactive tools demonstrating carbon storage. Two-way communication rather than one-way information delivery. Stories about people, not just statistics about trees. The data exists. The achievements are real. The storytelling is missing.
The forestry sector has spent 30 years defending itself. Perhaps it's time to start celebrating instead. Not arrogantly. Not dismissing legitimate environmental concerns. But confidently stating what we've actually accomplished.
European forests are larger than they've been in centuries. We harvest sustainably within annual growth limits. We've built a global certification system that actually works. We employ millions of people in rural communities. We provide materials that replace fossil-based alternatives. We offer free mental health benefits to anyone who walks through our "open factory.” These are achievements. Real ones. Documented ones.
The question isn't whether we have a good story to tell. We clearly do. The question is whether we're willing to tell it. Environmental groups mastered storytelling decades ago. They hired journalists. They coordinated campaigns. They spoke to emotions, not just intellect. We published technical reports while they published compelling narratives
We can learn from them without becoming them.
The forestry sector doesn't need to exaggerate or spin. It needs to communicate what's actually true. The facts are on our side. We just need to make them visible.
This article doesn't have a specific call to action. That can come in future pieces. For now, the goal is simpler: awareness.
Awareness that forestry's achievements are substantial. That the environmental record is positive. That the economic contribution is massive. That the social benefits are measurable and meaningful. Awareness that we're not just an industry fighting regulations. We're an industry delivering value to society in ways that remain largely invisible. The PR battle I described in my previous article is real. We lost it. But losing a battle doesn't mean losing the war.
We have achievements worth celebrating. We have stories worth telling. We have contributions that deserve recognition.
The question is whether we'll start telling those stories. Or whether we'll wait another 30 years while others tell stories about us. I know which approach I'd choose.
About the author: Peter Hasulyó is a licensed forest engineer and founder of ForestryBrief, a European forestry intelligence service read by professionals across 15+ countries. With 25 years of experience in translation, journalism, and forestry, he specialises in the intersection of forest management, regulation, and industry communication. He previously worked as a journalist for Nimród hunting magazine and co-organised several industry venues. Subscribe to ForestryBrief at forestrybrief.com
LinkedIn | Email: peter@forestrybrief.com
References
Forest Growth & Area Statistics
- 37% growth & 160 million hectares: "Forests, forestry and logging - Statistics Explained." (2024). Link
- Growing stock (28.6 billion m³): "State of Europe’s Forests 2020." Link (Updated with Eurostat 2022 data).
- Harvest vs. Increment (66%): "Wood production and trade." (2023). Link
Carbon & Climate
- 332 million tonnes CO2 absorbed (EU): "Securing the forest carbon sink for the European Union’s climate ambition.” (2025) / JRC LULUCF Data. Link
- Global Carbon Sink (7.6 billion tonnes): "Global maps of twenty-first century forest carbon fluxes.” (2021). Link
- Substitution Effects (410 million tonnes): "Climate effects of the forest-based sector in the European Union." (2020). Link
- Harvested Wood Products Storage: "LULUCF Sector Contribution to Climate Action." Link
Ecosystem Services & Health
- NYC Watershed Savings: "New York City’s Water Supply System." Link
- US Pollution Removal (17.4 million tonnes): "Tree and forest effects on air quality and human health in the United States.” (2014). Link
- Mental Health Benefits & NK Cells: "Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function.” (2010). Link
- UK Mental Health Savings (£141-185m): "The mental health benefits of visiting UK woodlands." (2021). Link
Economics & Employment
- Employment (3.6 million) & GVA: "Forestry and logging: economic indicators." Link
- Global Employment (33 million): "Global Forest Sector Employment." (2023). Link
- Global Economic Contribution ($1.52 trillion): "State of the World's Forests 2022." Link
Certification & Markets