Forestry

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

Administrative data process

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

MM03 – thousand hectares (ha), percentage (%), thousand cubic metres (m3), m3/ha;

MM04 – ha, m3;

MM05 – ha;

MM10 – ha

Year

Official Statistics Act.

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

None

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in §§ 32, 34, 35, and 38 of the <Official Statistics Act.

On European level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164) stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

The dissemination of data collected for the production of official statistics is based on the requirements laid down in §§ 34 and 35 of the Official Statistics Act. The principles for treatment of confidential data can be found here: Data protection (Privacy policy).

No confidential data are used in this statistical activity, as all source data are aggregated data collected from administrative sources.

Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on Statistics Estonia's website. Every year on 1 October, the release times of the statistical database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS, and publications for the following year are announced in the release calendar (in the case of publications – the release month).

The release calendar is available to users on the website Calendar.

All users have been granted equal access to official statistics: dissemination dates of official statistics are announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities, and mass media) is provided access to official statistics before other users. Official statistics are first published in the statistical database. If there is also a news release, it is published simultaneously with data in the statistical database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8.00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calendar.

Year

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.

To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (ESS QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the EFQM Excellence Model and the requirements in section 7 “Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.

Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process; this information can take many forms, including feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics, and suggestions from employees. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

Quality is managed by the quality manager.

The data are commissioned by the Ministry of Climate. The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture also uses these data.

Since 1996, Statistics Estonia has conducted reputation and user satisfaction surveys. Surveys conducted at least once a year target both the existing and potential consumers of statistics. All results are available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section User surveys. The survey referred to does not concern a specific statistical activity but is a general satisfaction survey.

Information on user satisfaction can also be obtained through user feedback, which has been mostly positive.

The data conform with the data composition agreed with the Environment Agency.

All required indicators have been published (completeness 100%).

The type of survey and the data collection methods ensure sufficient accuracy.

Not applicable as this is not a sample survey.

Not applicable as this is not a sample survey.

Not applicable

Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.

Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.

Not applicable

Not applicable as this statistical activity is based on administrative data.

Not applicable

The data are published six months after the end of the reference year ( T+ 6 months). Data compiled on the basis of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) are published 18 months after the end of the reference year (T + 18 months).

In 2025, the data were published eight months after the end of the reference year (T + 8 months), and the data compiled on the basis of the NFI were published 20 months after the end of the reference year (T + 20 months). The publication was delayed because the Environment Agency updated the data compilation methodology.

The data are published once (T + 6 months / T + 18 months).

The data are published once (T + 6 months / T + 18 months).

The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar.

100% of the data has been published on time (as announced in the release calendar).

Table MM03 "Gross felling based on National Forest Inventory (NFI)" contains data for Estonia as a whole. Tables 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" also contain data by county, which ensures the comparability of data within Estonia.

Internationally, the data are comparable with data from other European Union countries, as a common methodology is used.

The data are comparable over time. The methodology and basic principles, definitions, and classifications have remained unchanged over time.

There have been no breaks in the time series of active tables, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.

As there is no connection with other domains, cross-domain coherence cannot be assessed.

Not applicable as data are not published for periods shorter than one year.

Not applicable as not directly used in national accounts.

The outputs of the statistical activity are coherent. Higher-level aggregations are derived from detailed data according to pre-defined procedures.

As this statistical activity is based on data obtained from administrative sources, there is no data submission and therefore no burden.

Costs are not calculated separately for different statistical activities.

The data revision policy and notification of corrections are described on Statistics Estonia's website in the section Principles of dissemination of official statistics.

The published data may be revised if the methodology is modified, errors are discovered, new or better data become available.

Revisions are made by those conducting the National Forest Inventory (NFI) of the Environment Agency. Data in Statistics Estonia's database are revised as necessary (if the Environment Agency has revised the already published data) when new data are published. If the data in Statistics Estonia's database have been revised, this information is recorded in the footnotes to tables.

Not applied

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

In the case of questions concerning content and methodology, Statistics Estonia provides a response that has been cleared with the Environment Agency.