Forest resources of the world - Supplementary data to the original FAO study

In 1947 FAO undertook an investigation into the forest resources of the world. Special questionnaires, designed with the help of two international conferences on forest statistics, were sent by the Director-General to all countries. The results of the inquiry were published in UNASYLVA, Volume II, No. 4, July-August 1948.

Since that date, several countries which were not then in a position to provide the desired information have returned their inventory questionnaires to FAO. In order that all those interested may have access to these valuable additional data, they are presented in the following tables, which correspond to Tables 4-10 in the original study. Replies received from countries included in the earlier report, plus those now reported, cover two-thirds of the land area of the world.

While FAO's inquiry has resulted in the collection of a useful series of relatively comparable statistics, it has also served to emphasize the great need in many countries for far more complete information than exists at present regarding the extent and composition of forest resources. FAO is now preparing a booklet on the planning of: national forest inventories, which, it is hoped, will be useful to national authorities who may be required to organize large inventory projects, perhaps for the first time.

As FAO intends to undertake a further inquiry into world forest resources within a few years, attention must also be given to revising and improving the inventory questionnaire. The regional Forestry and Forest Products Commissions which have been established by FAO will, it is hoped, be able to give valuable advice on this subject.

Table 1. - Land classification *

Table 2. - Classification of productive forests *

Table 3. - Ownership of productive forests *

Continent and Country		Total Productive Forest	Publicly Owned Forests				Forest Owned by Institutions	Privately Owned Forest
			State Forest		Communal Forest	Total Public
			Fellings Permitted	Fellings Prohibited
EUROPE
	Italy	5,615	141	-	1,570	1,711	308	3,596
AFRICA
	Algeria	1,906	1,485	27	110	1,622	-	284
	South-West Africa	5,176	-	1,860	1 3,186	5,046	-	130
ASIA
	South Korea	6,420	2 1,433	...	...	1,433	...	4,987

* Corresponding to Table 6, UNASYLVA, Vol. II, No. 4 (July-August 1948).
- None.
... Not available.
¹ Reserved for benefit of native tribes.
² Includes all State forests.

Table 4. - Growing stocks in accessible productive forests *

Continent and Country		Total Volume			Average Stand per Hectare
		All Species	Conifers	Broadleaved	All Species	Conifers 1	Broadleaved 1
		Million m³ (r)			m³ (r)
EUROPE
	Italy	299	104	195	54	94	44
AFRICA
	Algeria	20	9	11	12	14	11
	Northern Rhodesia 2	3	-	3	11	-	11
	South-West Africa 2	3	-	3	25	-	25
ASIA
	Turkey	159	94	65	53	50	59

* Corresponding to Table 7, UNASYLVA, Vol. II, No. 4, (July-August 1948).

¹ Based on areas actually bearing these species. One-half of the mixedwood areas reported in the table "Classification of Productive Forests," is treated as coniferous and one-half as broadleaved.

² Commercially exploitable species only.

Table 5. - Average annual growth and annual drain *