Forestry in Germany

Forestry in Germany is an important sector that contributes to the country's economy and environment.
 * Forest area: Approximately one-third or 11.4 million hectares of the national area of Germany is forested . The forest land in Germany is 46% private, 20% communal or cooperative, and only 34% state-owned . Forests cover 32% of Germany, with the most thickly wooded Länder being Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.
 * Tree species: Spruce accounts for the largest share among the tree species (28%), followed by pine (23%), beech trees (15%), and oak trees (10%). Today, 77 tree species grow in German forests, with spruce, pine, beech, and oak taking up almost three-quarters of the forest area.
 * Forest management: High forest management is the predominant silvicultural system in Germany. The aim is to implement close-to-nature forest management throughout Germany, which has already generated an increasing proportion of structurally diverse mixed stands, long regeneration periods, and natural rejuvenation methods. Forest management largely dispenses with clear-cutting.
 * Ownership: Half of the German forests are privately owned, and almost three-quarters of the more than 400,000 enterprises engaged in the management of forests are agricultural holdings with small areas of woodland.
 * Products and trade: Germany has an active forest industry.