An Overview of Forest Management in Austria

Sa？etak Austrian forests and forest management have undergone great change during the past 500 years. From the 16th century on, the unregulated extraction of wood in order to cover the needs for energy in iron industry and saltworks as well as the increasing demand for firewood in the growing cities led to deforestation in great parts of the country. Since 1961, when the first forest inventory data of Austrian forests has been collected, the total forest area in the country has increased by 300,000 ha. Today, with an area of nearly 4 million ha, 47.6% of Austria is covered with forests. With a share of 61.2%, spruce is the most common tree species in Austrian forests. The vulnerability of these trees to climate change and the resulting damages by storms and bark beetles is currently leading to a change in the forest structure. The Austrian state forests are focused on more resistant but still fast-growing tree species like larch or Douglas fir