Forest Accounts for the Netherlands, 2020

The attention to size, management and conservation of our forests has increased considerably in recent years. Forests provide wood and biomass. The production of and trade in these goods generate economic activity and employment. In addition, forests and forest protection play an important role in climate mitigation and combating the loss of biodiversity. Statistics Netherlands is working on mapping out the role of forests for society as accurately as possible.

This year, Statistics Netherlands developed the European Forest Accounts (EFA) for the Netherlands. These accounts include information on the size of forest areas, timber production and its economic value. By describing this in a consistent manner, the forest accounts provide insight into the (economic) size of forests and wood resources in the Netherlands.

In addition, forests provide various ecosystem services to society, such as air filtration, climate regulation and the possibility of nature recreation. These ecosystem services are mapped by Statistics Netherlands in the Natural capital accounts according to international standards. Another ecosystem service that forests provide is the supply of biomass for energy production. Information on the production and use of (wood) biomass for energy purposes was not yet included in the Natural capital accounts. This report provides a better insight into the production and use of (wood) biomass for energy purposes, and a step has been taken in integrating this into the existing ecosystem accounts.

Below are the reports that have been made in the context of the EU-Grant SMP-ESS-2021-EGD-IBA. This grant is intended as an incentive to set up forest accounts that will be decreed at European level (Regulation (EU) No 691/2011). The first report describes the forest accounts. The second report describes the research into the production and use of (wood) biomass for energy purposes.