Forest Overview
Poland ranks among the leading European countries in terms of forest area. Currently, forests cover nearly 9.3 million hectares, representing 29.6% of the country’s total area. The vast majority are publicly owned, with more than 7.1 million hectares managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding.
Poland’s forest area continues to increase. The country’s forest cover has grown from 21% in 1945 to the current level of 29.6%, according to data published by Statistics Poland in December 2024.
Afforestation activities are guided by the National Programme for the Expansion of Forest Cover, which aims to increase forest cover to 33% by 2050. Poland’s forests are rich in plant, animal and fungal diversity. Around 65% of Poland’s plant, animal and fungal species occur in forest ecosystems.
In Poland, forests are largely located on poorer-quality soils, mainly as a result of the expansion of agriculture in previous centuries. This historical land-use pattern influences the distribution of forest habitat types across the country. Coniferous forest habitats account for 49.2% of the total forest area, while the remaining 50.8% is occupied by broadleaved forest habitats, predominantly mixed forests.
Both groups also include upland habitats, which together account for 6.7% of the total forest area, and mountain habitats, which cover 8.5%.
The kingdom of the pine
Scots pine is the dominant tree species in lowland and upland areas. It covers more than 61% of the forest area managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding and approximately 55% of private and municipal forests. In the mountains, Norway spruce dominates in the west, while mixed stands of spruce and beech are more common in the east.
The predominance of pine is largely a legacy of past forest management. In the past, monocultures — stands dominated by a single tree species — were established in response to high industrial demand for timber. Such forests, however, proved less resilient to climatic pressures and were also more vulnerable to pest outbreaks.
The share of other tree species, particularly broadleaved species, is steadily increasing in Poland’s forests. Foresters have moved away from monocultures and increasingly adapt the species composition of stands to the natural conditions of each site. As a result, between 1945 and 2024, the share of broadleaved stands in forests managed by the State Forests increased from 13% to approximately 31%. Across all forests, regardless of ownership, broadleaved stands now account for nearly 32% of the total forest area.
Species such as oak, ash, Norway maple, sycamore maple and elm are becoming increasingly common, together with birch, beech, alder, poplar, hornbeam, aspen, lime and willow.
The most common forest stands in Poland are between 40 and 80 years old. The average age of forests is 62 years, while the area covered by stands over 80 years old continues to increase. Since the end of the Second World War, this area has grown from 0.9 million hectares to approximately 2.3 million hectares.
Stands aged over 81 years account for 26% of the forest area managed by the State Forests and 16.2% of private forests.
Non-forested land accounts for 3% of the area of private forests and 2% of the area managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding.
Who owns the forests in Poland?
The vast majority of forests in Poland are publicly owned. They are managed by various entities, including national parks and municipalities, with the largest area managed by the State Forests. Access to forests managed by these organisations is free of charge.
