Forestry

The purpose of the statistical activity is to provide information about felling, new plantations, and reforestation.

Gross felling based on National Forest Inventory (NFI);

gross felling based on felling documentation by county and type of forest land;

areas of new plantations by county;

reforestation by county

Classification of Estonian administrative units and settlements (EHAK);

categories of forest protection of the International Union for Conservation of Nature;

UN-ECE/FAO Temperate and Boreal Forest Resource Assessment 2000 (forest categories and definitions)

Forestry

Average increment of the stock of stands per year – difference between the original and residual value of stands in a period, which shows the increment of the stock of stands in a year (based on increment calculation method of the forest survey guidelines)

Average stock of stands per hectare – volume of timber expressed in cubic metres per hectare

Cleaning – a type of maintenance felling in forests where the average diameter at breast height is below 6 cm (i.e. young growth) in order to improve light and nutrition conditions of the dominant tree species and design the forest composition

Commercial woodland – forest land (stands) that is not included in the category of strictly protected forests. It includes forests with partial commercial restrictions (for example water protection forests, protection zone of capercaillie, Natura 2000 areas).

Dominant tree species – the tree species with the greatest stem volume in the stand

Forest land – habitat of woody vegetation with an area of at least 0.1 hectares where the height of woody plants is at least 1.3 metres and the canopy closure is at least 30%. It includes areas temporally forestless such as clear cut, windfall or burnt areas.

Maintenance felling – a silviculture technique to improve forest quality and/or forest sanitary conditions. Maintenance felling includes cleaning in stands with the average breast height diameter of up to eight centimetres, thinning in stands with the average breast height diameter of eight centimetres and larger, and sanitary cutting.

Regeneration felling – a type of felling in order to create conditions necessary for a new forest generation. As a general rule, regeneration felling is used in mature stands.

Stock of stands – volume of timber expressed in cubic metres from stump to tree top including bark and excluding the volume of branches

Territory covered by forest (%) – the share of stands in the area of the territory

Thinning – type of maintenance felling for the raising of the value of a forest, for the regulation of forest density and composition, and for enabling the use of the timber of dead trees which will fall out in the immediate future

Contribution to natural forest regeneration – a reforestation method for promoting the generation and development of natural regeneration through various techniques (soil scarification, leaving seed trees or groups of seed trees in the cutting area, removing competing grass and deciduous trees from coniferous regeneration, partial cultivation, etc.)

Forest planting – a reforestation method where young trees are planted in a permanent growing site

Forest seeding – a reforestation method where tree seeds are sown on a scarified (mineralised) patch or strip

Other felling includes
- track cutting, including the cutting of quarter or boundary lines or the cleaning of an existing ride or road shoulder, ditch bank or ditch shoulder from trees with the average breast height diameter of more than eight centimetres;
- formative cutting carried out at a protected natural object in order to attain the protection goal in accordance with the protection management plan, action plan for the protection and control of a species or for the purpose of preservation and improvement of the status of a protected individual natural object or key habitat;
- deforestation, i.e. the cutting that is done in order to enable the use of land for purposes other than silviculture.

Forest land

All of Estonia's forest land

Estonia as a whole

MM03: Gross felling based on national forest inventory (NFI) 1999–...

MM04: Gross felling based on felling documentation by county and type of forest land, MM05: Areas of new plantations by county, and MM10: Reforestation by county 1991–...

In Table MM03, data for the year before last are published, while the rest of the tables show data for the previous year.

Not applicable

Official Statistics Act.

Statistics Estonia has entered into an agreement with the Environment Agency to obtain administrative data.

None

The news items can be viewed on Statistics Estonia's website in the section News.

No news releases are published relating to this statistical activity.

The Environment Agency publishes forest yearbooks.

Data are published in the statistical database under the subject area Economy/Forestry in all the tables:

MM03: Gross felling based on national forest inventory (NFI);

MM04: Gross felling based on felling documentation by county and type of forest land;

MM05: Areas of new plantations by county;

MM10: Reforestation by county.

Discontinued dataset MM06: Collection, use and stock of forest seeds by type and manager of seed (1991–2007) is available under the subject area Discontinued datasets / Economy. Archive / Forestry. Archive.

The database tables related to the survey were viewed 1,199 times in 2024, 1,134 times in 2023, 1,336 times in 2022, 1,333 times in 2021, and 2,058 times in 2020.
Each table view is counted as a separate viewing. This is based on the database URLs, which show that the data have been selected and the table formed.

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in §§ 33, 34, 35, 36, and 38 of the Official Statistics Act. Access to microdata and anonymisation of microdata are regulated by Statistics Estonia’s procedure for dissemination of confidential data for scientific purposes.

No microdata are used in this statistical activity.

Data serve as input for statistical activities 10601 “Material flow accounts”, 50101 “Regional development”, and 50201 “Sustainable development indicators”.

The data of this statistical activity are also published on Statistics Estonia's website in the environment section under the heading Forest and on the Forestry and wood industry dashboard.

The metadata related to the statistical activity were viewed 59 times (1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024). This figure does not represent the number of viewers, as the metadata may have been viewed multiple times by a single user.

The methodology for compiling data has been developed by the Environment Agency, which also manages the methodology documents.

This statistical activity is guided by the European Statistics Code of Practice – revised edition, 2017.

Felling data based on felling documentation are divided into two categories: state forest data and private forest data.

Data on the felling, regeneration, and cultivation of state forests are based on forestry work data from the State Forest Management Centre, which are forwarded to Statistics Estonia by the Environment Agency.

Data on the felling of private forests are based on the felling area and felling outturn, planned on the basis of forest notifications, by felling type, legal form of holder, and county, as reported in forest notifications. Statistics Estonia obtains these data from the Environment Agency.

The source data of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) are based on a survey conducted by the Environment Agency, the output of which the agency forwards to Statistics Estonia.

Year

The Environment Agency transmits aggregated data to Statistics Estonia once a year by email.

Statistics Estonia does not check administrative source data; this is done by the owner of the administrative data. Statistics Estonia compares the data with data from previous years and, if there is a significant change compared with the previous year, contacts the Environment Agency to verify the data if necessary.

Statistics Estonia compares the data with data from previous years and, if necessary, asks the Environment Agency about the reasons for any changes. Before publishing the data, it is ensured that the values of subgroups correspond to the aggregate values.

In Table MM04 "Gross felling based on felling documentation by county and type of forest land", the data are recalculated (deforestation is included under other felling), but no further calculations are made.

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable