FORESTS IN BELGIUM,    FORESTS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Breakdown of species in the forests of Belgium

Broad-leaved 47 %

Oaks 13 %
Beech 7 %
Poplar 5 %
Other 22 %

Coniferous  41 %

Common spruce 25 %
Pine trees 9 %
Larch 2 %
Douglas 3 %
Other 2 %

Forest species and silviculture

Given the diversity of soil types (sand, silt, clay) and climates (from 0 to 700 m above sea level, from 700 to 1 400 mm of rainfall), a great many species have adapted to our country.
The total volume of standing trees amounts to 140 million m³ or an average volume of 225 m³/ha. With an average annual increase of 6.5 m³/ha/year, and annual removal of 4 million m³, exploitation is slightly lower than biological production. Among the various uses to which wood produced in Belgium is put, it is worth noting the increase in the volume of wood used for heating, estimated at 700 000 m³.

Fauna

Of the large wildlife living in the forests of Belgium, only the roe deer is found throughout the land. Stag and wild boars are confined to the south of the country, where some areas are also home to mountain sheep and fallow deer.These populations have been increasing sharply over the past few years and now amount to:
- 54 000 roe deer (20 000 of which are in Flanders)
- 25 000 wild boars
- 11 000 stags, does and fawns.
The roe deer and stag populations have doubled in 30 years, while the wild boar population has tripled!
This abundance of wildlife can cause damage in the forest (by stags) and on farmland (by wild boars) in some places.