According to EOS data, forest cover has increased by 45 per cent since 1990, but in 2024 Italia imported the majority of its processed timber

The good news is that European forests continue to grow: according to the 2025–2026 Annual Report of the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS), a body representing around 80 per cent of European sawn timber production, European forests now cover over 232 million hectares, equivalent to 35.4 per cent of the continent’s land area, and over the last 35 years they have expanded by more than 23 million hectares, with an average increase of around 665,000 hectares each year. At the same time, Europe’s forest stock has reached 38.3 billion cubic metres, an increase of around 45 per cent compared with 1990.

Yet – and this is the less positive news – the availability of raw materials for the timber industry remains one of the main challenges to the sector’s competitiveness and to Europe’s sustainability objectives, as emerged from the Forestry-Timber General Assembly organised in Bologna by Filiera Legno (an association representing almost 600 companies in the timber industry), which brought together institutions, public decision-makers, representatives from the forestry sector, businesses, professionals, designers, universities and research centres.

In 2020, the forestry and timber sector generated over 113 billion euros in added value and employed around 2.4 million people across forestry, primary processing and related industries.

The Italian Paradox
Whilst this is the picture at European level, Italia has its own distinct characteristics: despite having a forest area that is constantly growing and one of the largest forest resources in Europe, our country continues to rely heavily on imports of timber raw materials. In 2024, approximately 1.47 million cubic metres of roundwood were imported, whilst domestic consumption of sawn coniferous timber remained at around 5.45 million cubic metres.

Alongside this dependence on imports, however, there are encouraging signs: domestic production of coniferous sawn timber has returned to growth and now stands at nearly one million cubic metres, confirming the strategic role of Italian sawmills in making the most of the country’s forest resources.

Positive signs are also emerging from the broadleaf timber sector, where production is forecast to stand at around 340,000 cubic metres in 2025. This figure reflects the growing interest in making the most of national forest resources and, in particular, the supply chains linked to the chestnut, a species that has historically been central to the economy of Italy’s mountainous and hilly regions. This trend highlights the untapped potential of the Italian supply chain.

A strategic raw material
From sawmills to packaging, from construction to fit-outs, right through to numerous industrial and professional applications, timber is a strategic raw material for thousands of Italian businesses. The packaging sector alone handles around 160 million pallets every year, whilst domestic production exceeds 84 million units, confirming the central role of timber in the country’s logistics and real economy.

Wood construction also remains one of the main areas of growth in demand, with a turnover of over 2.3 billion euros, according to data from the Federazione Filiera Legno’s 2025 Wood Construction Observatory.

In addition to their energy and environmental performance, timber buildings play a strategic role as genuine carbon sinks. At the same time, the growth of off-site construction is driving the sector’s evolution towards more industrialised, efficient and innovative production models, capable of reducing construction times, resource consumption and the environmental impact of building sites.

Making the most of the entire life cycle
“The EOS data show that the challenge is not just about forests or individual companies, but about the country’s ability to develop an industrial policy that makes the most of our raw material throughout its entire life cycle,” said Angelo Luigi Marchetti, president of the Federazione Filiera Legno. “Raw material availability, sustainable forest management, industrial innovation, timber construction, logistics, packaging and manufacturing are all elements of a single, interconnected production ecosystem that must engage with other national supply chains. Italia possesses expertise, companies and know-how of the highest calibre, but we need to strengthen our ability to work as a cohesive system and build a shared vision for the future of the sector,” concluded Marchetti.
     
Source: ilsole24ore.com