Forest certification in Spain is consolidated

This is confirmed by the data collected by PEFC, the Spanish association that promotes forest sustainability, and which reflects an increase in the numbers of hectares of forest, foresters, managers and certified processing companies, which through the PEFC seal, demonstrate their practices and sustainable management.

The figures, closed as of December 31, 2016, indicate an increase of more than 76,000 hectares of territory certified in Sustainable Forest Management, this means 4% compared to the previous year, adding a total of 1,967,418 hectares of certified forest. This total area represents 11% of the national wooded forest area. 19,262 are foresters and managers adhering to the PEFC certification. Public administrations own 72% of the PEFC certified surface and the remaining 28% is in private hands.

The community with the most certified hectares is Castilla y León (718,000), with Galicia being the one with the largest number of owners and managers, with more than 13,500. Taking into account the wooded forest area of ​​each Autonomous Community, Navarra is the one with the highest percentage of PEFC certified area with 60%.

There are three types of certification in sustainable forest management developed by the PEFC system: regional, group and individual. The regional modality is the one that has been most successful historically, being established in 8 Autonomous Communities and occupying 70% of the national certified surface. However, the group modality began to grow significantly in 2013, mainly due to the strong demand for certified products by the industry and the atomization of forest property, currently incorporating 60% of certified owners or managers. The group certification allows the affiliation of various owners and managers with different typology and size of forest area, currently being mainly established in Andalusia, Extremadura and Galicia.

50% of this surface is covered by pine formations. Both beech and oak forests cover 12% each. Eucalyptus plantations cover 6% of the certified area while holm oak and cork oak forests cover 4% each. Poplar groves, chestnut stands follow with lower percentages, and then other species of both hardwood and coniferous trees, as well as riverside vegetation and mixed stands.

On the other hand, the data obtained from the exploitations carried out in the certified forests show the multifunctionality in the management of the PEFC certified surface. The main use is logging, mainly eucalyptus, pine and poplar, with more than 2 and a half million cubic meters. Additionally, in some autonomous communities such as Aragón and Andalusia, obtaining firewood and biomass has been highlighted as timber exploitation. Likewise, the use of non-wood products such as cork, honey, Iberian pork, mushrooms, resin, game, grasses, pine nuts, among others, is of great relevance.

In 2016 there was an increase of 12% in companies certified in PEFC Chain of Custody, reaching the figure of 1,271, of which 29% are located in Galicia, a Community that occupies the first position with the highest number of certified companies ( 367), followed by Catalonia with 174, Euskadi with 122 and Madrid with 98.