The forest stock over the last 5 years has increased by 4.5% according to official data from the Executive Forestry Agency. Statistics show that forest areas occupy 38.62% of the country's territory. The stock amounts to 750 million m3. According to long-term analyses, this means that over the last 65 years it has increased 3.2 times.
Are forests in our country actually being cut down, as is widely claimed?
The yield from the past year amounted to 5.649 million m3 and is a record low. The growth reaches 13.653 million m3, and according to previous data, compared to 2025, only 41% was used. For the EU, for example, the figure is much higher, about 70%. In terms of protected areas (NATURA 2000 and other regulations), our country remains in first place and has previously exceeded all the requirements for the protection of the European Forest Strategy 2030 and biodiversity.
“We are going beyond the limits of sustainability. It is already visible even to non-specialists that the forests are full of dry and fallen mass. Fires in recent years have become increasingly devastating“, commented Eng. Petar Dishkov, an expert at the Bulgarian Forestry and Forestry Commission. According to him, maintaining good health should be achieved through appropriate silvicultural measures - different types of felling. During their implementation, some of the trees are removed in order to provide growth space for the remaining tree stand. The harvested wood, on the other hand, could be used for the benefit of society - in construction, furniture production, paper, energy, replacing fossil fuels.
Peter Dishkov warns that there is a serious danger to forests, especially in the low parts of the country (below 500 m above sea level). They are threatened by collapse. This is especially true for sapling plantations and coniferous crops, which are permanently aging and losing their resilience and ability to self-restore. In the coming months and years, we can expect an increase in their drying and more fires.
Measures to address the situation
If we want to avoid deforestation and the radical change of the landscape, urgent measures must be taken to return to proactive management. It is especially important to trust foresters and support them in their work. Only with their help can we manage forests well, so that they are healthier and more resistant to fires, pests and disasters. We should not forget that the critical infrastructure, without which we cannot manage the processes, are logging and wood processing companies.
Climate change requires new solutions, believes Eng. Dishkov. Silviculture is the environmental measure that can guarantee the balance between the social, ecological and economic functions of the forest. Planning of activities in forests has a horizon of 50-100 years and should be done professionally, without emotions, based on the best achievements of science and practice. It is good to look for new solutions - tree species suitable for the new climatic conditions, application of bioeconomy, based on proactive forestry, healthy forests for a healthy society.