Forest resources in Europe: an integrated perspective on ecosystem services, disturbances and threats

In Europe, 33 % of the total land area (215 million ha) is covered by forests, with a positive trend of increase for the forested areas. Other wooded lands cover an additional area of 36 million ha. 113 million ha are covered by coniferous forests, 90 million ha by broadleaved ones and 48 million ha by mixed forests. Forest resources should not be considered as a monolithic entity. Instead, they play a multifaceted role, with complex patterns and relationships among forests and other wooded lands, their usage and their interaction with other natural and anthropic systems. This chapter describes the European forest resources from the ecosystems perspective.JRC.D.1-Bio-econom