Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of Catalonia

The General Direction of Forest Ecosystems and Environmental Management , which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food; manages around 274.000 has (90.000 from the Government and the rest  from municipalities), along with a public forest enterprise (Forestal Catalana SA). Sustainable forest management is our main principle.

Catalonia is a forestry land (64% of forest surface) that has high biodiversity degree: It has a wide range of landscapes (from alpine mountains to Mediterranean), soils and microclimates. The bases of our economy are services and industries.

Urban society is concerned about environment. In this framework, communication is essential to improve the social perception and to demonstrate that forests provide better environmental services when are managed. Society must be informed about tasks that are being done in Catalan forests, such as pest treatments, torrential corrections, fire prevention, and of course harvestings.

Regarding planning, Catalonia has a General Forest Policy Plan, sub-Regional Policy Plans are being built and Management Pin public private forests are being promoted.

One of our main challenges consists of applying innovation and research to reach new industries and markets, in order to recuperate the ancient uses of our wood and no wood forest products.

• Total forest area managed by member: 274000 ha
• Total number of: employees: 220 people
• Annual harvest in: 100 197 m³