La forest area of Spain The forests continue to grow, and although we may not always realize it, we literally live in a country of forests. While deforestation advances unchecked in other parts of the world, here the forests are recovering, expanding, and already cover more than half of the national territory. However, the fact that there are more trees does not automatically mean that the state of the ecosystems is perfect or that we are safe from large fires or desertification.
In this context, it is key to understand how much forest area we have, how it is distributed, what threats it faces and What policies are being implemented to manage it. It is also worth talking about this social disconnect with the forestry world: Spain is a green powerhouse, but there is still a lack of forest culture, sustainable use, and real fire prevention.
How much forest area does Spain have today?
If we look at the most recent inventory data from the FAO, the total forest area of Spain overcomes the 28 million hectares, which is roughly equivalent to a 55-56% of the national territory (out of a total of 50,6 million hectares of Spain's surface area). That is, more than half of the country is covered by forests or by forest lands of scrubland and pasture.
Within that forest area, a distinction is made between wooded area and treeless area. The call forested area, which coincides with the international concept of “forest”, exceeds the 18 million hectares, around the 37% of all of SpainThe rest, almost 10 million hectares, corresponds to treeless forest area, that is, land covered by scrubland, pastures and smaller woody formations.
Spain thus positions itself as the second country in the European Union in total forest area, second only to Sweden, and the third in wooded forest area, behind Sweden and Finland. Furthermore, the percentage of forest area relative to the total area of the country is higher than the EU average, the average for Europe as a whole, and even the world average, which places us in the group of major forestry powers on the continent.
If we refine the figure a little further, some studies place the current Spanish forest area at around 27,9-28,1 million hectaresAccording to the methodology used and the reference year, all sources agree on the same key idea: The trend has clearly been increasing from the end of the 20th century to today.
Evolution of forest area in Spain
The evolution of Spanish forest area in recent decades It is striking. According to data from the FAO's forest resources assessment, Spain has gone from approximately 25,98 million hectares of forest area to around 28,54 million hectares current, which represents an increase of approximately 2,55 million hectares in about 35 years.
During that same period, the wooded area (forested forest) has grown even faster, with an increase of approximately 5,23 million hectaresThis means that not only is there more land classified as forest, but within that mosaic there are increasingly more dense wooded areas, with a greater capacity to store carbon and provide ecosystem services.
In 1990, the The wooded area represented approximately 53,5% of the total Spanish forest areaToday that percentage is already around 67% of the total forest areaTherefore, the wooded area is much more significant within the overall Spanish woodland. At the same time, there has been a relative reduction in agricultural land and some traditional pastures, which have been naturally recolonized by forest or dense scrubland.
Although these numbers give cause for some optimism, experts remind us that forest mass growth without proper management It also brings very serious risks, especially in the form of fuel accumulation and large, highly destructive forest fires.
Treeless forest area and protected woodlands
In addition to its large areas of pine, holm oak, oak and beech forests, Spain is a European leader in deforested areaIt's about those almost 10 million hectares de scrublands and grasslands and other woody formations that do not meet the criteria of covered area fraction to be considered a wooded forest, but that are part of the forest ecosystem in a broader sense.
With about 10 million hectares of forest area without dense tree coverThese lands represent approximately a 19% of the entire national territoryIn fact, almost half of Western Europe's scrubland and grasslands are concentrated in Spain, which gives an idea of just how unique our open scrubland landscapes are within the European context.
Another key aspect is the forest area integrated into protected areas. Around the 40% of Spanish forests are included in the network of Protected Natural Areas and/or in the Natura 2000totaling approximately 11,1 million hectaresOf that number, more than 7 million hectares correspond to wooded land and almost 4 million to deforested areaThis shows the great importance of these open habitats for the conservation of species and ecological processes.
The high proportion of protected forest land contributes decisively to maintaining the Spain's extraordinary biodiversityIt is generally considered the richest in Europe. However, having a protected area on paper does not in itself guarantee its good conservation: active management, sufficient funding, and constant monitoring are necessary to combat threats such as recurring fires, pests, and urban development pressure.
Spain in the European and global forestry context
If we compare Spain with the rest of the world, forests globally occupy about 4.060 million hectares, approximately the 31% of the emerged landThis is equivalent to about 0,52 hectares of forest per person on a planetary scale, although the distribution is very uneven between regions and countries, according to FAO forest assessments.
Since 1990, the planet has lost a net area of around 178 million hectares of forestsAn area similar in size to Libya, primarily due to conversion to agricultural and livestock uses and, in some cases, the impact of climate change and overexploitation. In contrast, Europe, and specifically the European Union, has been gaining forest area thanks to the natural colonization of former farmland and reforestation programs.
The European Union has seen its forest area grow by about 11 million hectares between 1990 and 2010Despite this, only around the 4% of European forests can be considered virginwith hardly any human intervention; approximately 8% are forest plantations and the rest are semi-natural forests, managed or influenced by human activity to a greater or lesser extent.
Although the EU does not have a strict common forest policy in the TreatiesYes, it has developed European strategies for forests and channeled a significant portion of the funding through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)Between 2007 and 2013, some 5.400 billion euros were allocated to forestry measures, and between 2014 and 2020, around 8.200 billion euros were programmed, with strong investments in reforestation, improving resilience, and preventing damage.
In this context, Spain is the third EU country with the largest area of wooded forest., With a 18,5 million hectares of forestssecond only to Sweden and Finland. Together with France, Germany, and Poland, these six nations account for around two-thirds of the Union's forest area, giving them a decisive role in European forestry strategies.
State and diversity of Spanish forests
The general state of the Spanish forests are considered reasonably good If we look at its size and its capacity for regeneration, although it is not without serious threats. Around 18-18,5 million hectares are covered by forested land, while the treeless forest area (scrubland and forest pastures) is located near the 9,5-10 million hectaresforming a mosaic of habitats of enormous ecological value.
Spain is recognized as the country with the greatest biodiversity in Europeand it is estimated that more than half of the forest tree population is made up of deciduous forests, around 55%, compared to 37% of coniferous forests and 8% of mixed doughsIn the eastern half of the peninsula, conifers (pines and firs) predominate, while in the western half, broadleaf trees such as holm oaks, oaks, and chestnut trees are more common.
Among the most represented species on the surface are twelve trees that concentrate about 84% of the forest massScots pine, maritime pine, Canary Island pine, black pine, holm oak, beech, common eucalyptus, Pyrenean oak, Monterey pine, common oak, chestnut, and stone pine. It is worth remembering that a good part of the Areas of eucalyptus and radiata pine are considered intensive forest plantations more than natural forests in the strict sense.
La tree wealth —understood as the number and variety of tree species in the same plot— is especially concentrated in the Basque Country, the pre-Pyrenees, Catalonia, the southern part of the Iberian System and the mountain ranges of Cádiz and CazorlaIn these regions, the mix of species and the structure of the forest generate very complex and resilient ecosystems.
For its part, the shrubby richness It is greater in areas with lower tree density and a dry Mediterranean climate, where scrubland plays a central ecological role. Areas like Asturias stand out both for their tree diversity—with chestnut, oak, beech, eucalyptus, maritime and radiata pine, ash, and holm oak—and for their significant timber volume. In general, the northern provinces of Spain They concentrate the largest volume of wood thanks to productive species such as eucalyptus, radiata pine and maritime pine.
What is considered a forest and who owns it?
From the technical point of view, the Forested area is defined as land where trees are the predominant vegetation and the canopy cover fraction (the projection of the canopies onto the ground) exceeds 10%. When the cover is below that threshold, the land is classified as treeless forest, although it is still part of forest ecosystems and acts as fuel in case of fire.
In Spain, the distribution of land ownership is very relevant to understanding how forests are managed. Around an 28% of the forest area is publicly owned (State, autonomous communities, provincial councils, municipalities and local entities), while approximately the The remaining 72% is privately ownedThis predominance of private property presents challenges and opportunities when it comes to land management, coordinating prevention efforts, and promoting sustainable forest management.
Many experts emphasize the need for governments to promote Mechanisms for transferring management without loss of ownershipLand stewardship agreements and public-private partnerships are essential. Without this cooperation, it will be very difficult to address the vast area that currently lacks planning instruments and regular active management.
Why has the forest area increased so much?
The remarkable increase in forest area in Spain It is not due to a single cause, but to a combination of various socioeconomic processes and public policies. Among the most frequently cited factors is the massive rural exodus of the mid-20th centurywhich led to the abandonment of many agricultural plots and traditional pastures, later recolonized by scrubland and young forests.
El abandonment of traditional forestry uses (Firewood, low-value timber, pine cones, resin, extensive grazing) has contributed to the accumulation of more biomass in the forest. This vegetation, no longer cut or browsed, dries out and becomes a continuous fuel source, creating a landscape far more flammable than the former agroforestry mosaic, where crops, meadows, and open woodlands alternated.
Added to this is the great wave of reforestation from the 1950s and 1960sIn many cases, this involves fast-growing species and lacks proper subsequent management. Fire suppression policies and the increasing effectiveness of firefighting equipment have done the rest: many small fires are extinguished, but at the same time, more and more fuel accumulates, favoring the outbreak of large, extremely intense fires when the weather conditions are right.
The result is a very continuous, dense and often abandoned forest landscapewhere the strips of crops and pastures that once acted as natural firebreaks have been disappearing. In this context, the appearance of housing developments, second homes, or infrastructure within or next to forested areas significantly increases the risk to people and property in the event of a fire.
Fires, climate change and desertification
The forest fires They are one of the most visible and widely reported threats to Spanish forests. Although in some specific years—such as 2018—the burned area has been relatively low (around 25.000 hectares), other recent periods have been dramatic: in the first five months of 2023, more than 47.000 hectares had already burned, almost three times as much as in the same period of the previous year, and in 2022 the figure exceeded 270.000 hectares burned, with 57 major forest fires responsible for more than 80% of the affected area.
El Climate change significantly worsens fire behavioralthough it is not the primary direct cause. Approximately 95% of fires in Spain are of human origin (negligence, improper use of fire, arson, infrastructure, etc.). However, heat waves, prolonged droughts, and higher average temperatures They dry out the vegetation, increase evapotranspiration, and turn the mountain into a veritable powder keg of fine and coarse fuel.
This cocktail of Climate change, drought, rural abandonment, and lack of management This fuels the transition from smaller, more easily controlled fires to extreme, rapid, unpredictable, and highly dangerous episodes for the population. This creates a vicious cycle in which dry vegetation fuels large fires, and these, in turn, accelerate erosion and the loss of fertile soil.
At the same time, around Three-quarters of Spain are undergoing desertification processesIt's important to clarify that desertification doesn't mean turning the country into a Sahara-like desert, but rather an increase in so-called "drylands": degraded areas where productivity decreases, droughts intensify, and flammable scrubland gains ground. These areas are especially vulnerable to erosion and recurring fires, which hinders natural regeneration and perpetuates degradation.
In this scenario, many specialists warn that the mass restocking without a subsequent management plan They can worsen the problem by simply adding more combustible biomass to an already saturated landscape. The priority, they point out, should be to restore a diverse agroforestry mosaic, with less fuel load, greater diversity of uses, and a dynamic rural economy capable of keeping that mosaic alive.
Sustainable forest management and certification
So that the increase of the forest area translates into resilient forests And not in abandoned forests full of fuel, it is essential to move towards sustainable forest management, adapted to the new climatic and social reality. In Spain, the The area subject to forest management plans is around 2,9 million hectares, about a 10,5% of the total forest area, and a large part of that managed area (nearly 2 million hectares) is publicly owned.
These numbers make it clear that close to a 80% of Spanish forests still lack formal management instrumentsThis complicates the planning of logging, thinning, harvesting, and fire prevention measures. Increasing the area managed sustainably is a priority recognized by government agencies and the forestry sector itself.
In this area, the voluntary forest certification It has become a key tool for demonstrating to the market and society that a particular forest is managed responsibly. In Spain, the seal FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) already certifies some 742.451 hectares of forest area, distributed among 37 management holders, both public (administrations responsible for the forest) and private (private owners and communities).
By autonomous communities, Galicia has approximately 248.000 hectares certified by the FSC.Castilla-La Mancha has around 196.800 hectares, Andalusia around 170.600 hectares and Castilla y León around 56.000. Navarra also stands out with about 30.000 hectares, Asturias with more than 22.000 and the Basque Country with almost 5.000 certified hectares, reflecting a growing interest in linking forest management to international sustainability standards.
Beyond forest management, the FSC chain of custody certification It verifies the traceability of products from the forest to the end consumer. In Spain, there are some 1.628 holders of FSC chain of custody certificateswith growth of around 5,7% compared to the previous year. The most represented sectors are pulp, paper and cardboard, packaging, and wood products for furniture and construction, with a strong presence of companies in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Galicia and the Community of Madrid.
Environmental, economic and social benefits of forests
Spanish forest ecosystems, which exceed 28 million hectaresThey are much more than a green postcard for weekends. Their wooded areas and scrublands They regulate the climate, store carbon, filter water, stabilize soils, and provide shelter to a huge part of terrestrial flora and fauna.It is estimated that more than two-thirds of the planet's terrestrial species depend on forests at some stage of their life cycle.
In terms of climate, the Forests and wood act as important CO₂ sinksbecause they absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store it in biomass and soil. This role is especially relevant in countries like Spain, where the fight against climate change largely depends on increasing the amount of carbon sequestered in well-managed, fire-resilient forest landscapes.
Forests are also source of drinking water, renewable energy (biomass) and raw materials such as wood, cork, resin, cellulose fibers, and natural rubber. In addition to timber resources, they provide numerous high-value-added non-timber products: chestnuts, pine nuts, wild fruits, honey, aromatic and medicinal plants, and game resources, which support a wide variety of rural economic activities.
The call circular bioeconomy Forests play a key role, promoting renewable products and materials that replace those of fossil origin or difficult to recycle. In Spain, the industry linked to the use and processing of wood and furniture employs approximately 150.000 people, with an area available for the supply of wood and firewood of around 14,9 million hectaresInterestingly, the extraction rate is only 41%, well below the European average (around 69%), indicating a underutilized potential for sustainable use.
Finally, forests have a enormous social and cultural roleThese are spaces for leisure, nature tourism, environmental education, and psychological well-being. Despite this, many specialists point out that a certain "apathy" or neglect persists in Spain. social disconnection from the forestry worldWe remember forests on International Day or when large fires occur, but we rarely perceive all that they contribute daily or the risks associated with their neglect.
Challenges and policies for the future of Spain's forest area
The future of forest area of Spain It will depend on how we address several simultaneous challenges: the progress of Climate change, the intensification of droughts, rural depopulation, the lack of systematic forest management, and the need to adapt forests to new environmental conditionsMany stands will fall outside their optimal climatic range and will be more vulnerable to fire, pests, and diseases.
Spanish forestry policies are based on three main pillars: the legal and regulatory framework, the planning instruments —such as the Spanish Forest Strategy or the Spanish Forest Plan 2022-2032— and the tools to put it into practice sustainable forest managementOne of the central objectives is to increase the area under management plans, improve fire prevention and ensure stable funding for actions in the forest.
El European Union Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) It offers a significant opportunity to promote sustainable and resilient forestry projects, from climate change adaptation to the promotion of timber construction and the development of stronger rural value chains. Organizations like FSC Spain emphasize the importance of making the most of these funds to strengthen the region's adaptive capacity.
Among the measures proposed by environmental organizations and experts, the following stand out: restoration of the agroforestry mosaic landscapewith less fuel consumption, greater diversity of uses, and a dynamic rural economy capable of keeping this mosaic alive. To achieve this, greater public investment, better coordination between state, regional, and local administrations, and the creation of specific instruments such as a Fund to support fire prevention and forest management.
It is also essential improve the forestry culture of societyto explain the value of forests, their environmental, social, and economic benefits, and the irreplaceable role of rural populations in their care. Without informed citizens, certified products valued in the market, and landowners with real incentives, it will be difficult to guarantee that the spectacular increase in Spain's forest area translates into Healthy, diverse and well-managed forests capable of facing the challenges of the 21st century.
The overall picture that all this data paints is that of a clearly forested country, with more than half of its territory covered by mountains, a expanding forest area and a leading role in the conservation of European biodiversityBut also with mountains overloaded with fuel, insufficient management, and a growing risk of large fires in an increasingly extreme climate; the great challenge for the coming decades will be to transform this abundance of forest land into a truly resilient, living, and well-utilized landscape, instead of a green backdrop left to its own devices.
