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Between 2016 and 2018, Europe lost 69% more forests to harvesting and increased the area being harvested by 49% compared to 2011 to 2015. Researchers have yet to establish the cause for the growth in harvesting, but unsustainable demand for wood products and timber are thought to be the reason.
Tree loss has grown most in Sweden (29%) and Finland (22%). Meanwhile, Spain, Latvia, Portugal, Estonia, and Poland's combined increase reached 30%. Most of the harvested areas will regenerate, as they have been allocated to timber production and are harvested regularly. However, while the size of the EU's forests won't shrink, the territory's climate absorption capacity will do so, as it takes time for the new trees to grow and reabsorb the emissions caused by previous harvests. More forest harvests also mean more carbon emissions from deforestation, which contribute to climate change.
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