FSC® forest area grows

Every month the FSC® publishes the latest figures on certified forest areas worldwide. From January 2012 to January 2018, the area of FSC® forests grew by a good 33%. While just under 150 million hectares of forest were certified in 2018, the figure was already just under 200 million hectares at the beginning of 2018:

However, the figures also show that the growth in floor space has slowed in recent years. In North America in particular, the FSC® has less weight today than it did six years ago. While 41% of the forest area here was certified in 2012, the proportion was only 35% in 2018. The trend was also negative in Africa, despite an already low share. Here, the share shrank from 5% in 2012 to 3.6% in 2018.

The FSC® recorded growth in Asia and in South and Central America. In South and Central America, 4 million hectares of forest were added. In Asia, the value almost doubled from 4.9 to 8.8 million hectares. Nevertheless, the FSC® share in the countries of the tropical climate zone remains low. In South and Central America, only 6.9% of forest areas are certified, and in Asia the figure is only 4.4%.

The most widespread and fastest growing is the FSC® continues to be in Europe. The area grew from 64 million hectares in 2012 to 97 million hectares in 2018. The proportion of FSC®-certified forest area increased from 43% to 49%.

All monthly reports of the FSC®: https://ic.fsc.org/en/facts-and-figures