Fellings
Here you will find statistics on harvested areas and volumes in Sweden.
Here you will find statistics on harvested volumes and areas from the Swedish Forest Agency and the National Forest Inventory.
- 87.7 million forestcubic metres of forest were felled in 2024.
- 87.0 million forest cubic metres of forest were felled in 2025 (preliminary figure).
- 70.5 million cubic metres (m3fub) were recovered in 2025 for use in the forest industry and for energy purposes (preliminary figure).
- On average, 209,000 hectares were felled per year during the period 2020-2024.
- On average, 313,000 hectares were thinned per year during the period 2020–2024.
Two different methods
The Swedish Forest Agency uses a model for calculating annual gross and net felling. The model is based on consumption statistics, import and export statistics, stocks statistics and data on felled but not removed whole trees
National Forest Inventory's felling estimates are based on an inventory of a sample of Sweden's land area. The felling is estimated from stumps on sample plots where trees have been felled.
Gross felling, m3sk
Total felled trunk volume above stump, including both removed trunks and felled trunks not removed from the forest. Usually expressed in m³sk.
Net felling, m3fub
Total felled trunk volume above the stump, excluding bark, tops and not removed felled whole trees and not removed stem parts. Expressed in m3fub.
Our statistical database contains statistics from Swedish Forest Agency. Produce a table by selecting your subject and variables.
Gross felling
Preliminary statistics for 2025
According to the Swedish Forest Agency's preliminary statistics, gross felling amounted to 87.0 million forest cubic meters in 2025. Gross felling includes the total volume of wood felled. In 2024, gross felling was 87.7 million forest cubic metres.
In 2021 and 2022, record fellings were recorded, except for 2005 and 2007, when fellings were very high due to the storms Gudrun and Per. The trend of high felling levels was broken in 2023 with reduced felling. Logging has increased a lot since the early 1950s, when it was between 40 million and 60 million cubic metres of forest cubic metres annually.
Gross felling by type of cutting
During the period 2020–2024, final felling accounted for 65 percent and thinning for 26 percent of gross felling. The remainder consisted of pre-commercial thinning, felling of seed trees and stands.
Outside formally protected areas based on the most current boundaries. Five-year average, represented by the middle year for example 2010/21-2024/25=2022. Year represents the start of a felling season for example 2024 represents the period from bud opening 2024 to bud opening 2025.
The average annual felling volume during the period 2020–2024 was 265 forest cubic metres per hectare in final felling and 70 forest cubic metres per hectare in thinning. Average felling per hectare has increased since the mid-1980s, especially in final felling.
Outside formally protected areas based on the most current boundaries. Five-year average, represented by the middle year for example 2010/21-2024/25=2022. Year represents the start of a felling season for example 2024 represents the period from bud opening 2024 to bud opening 2025.
Gross felling by tree species
The felling volume consisted of 58 percent spruce, 31 percent pine and 11 percent deciduous trees. But there are major regional differences. In Götaland, the proportion of spruce was 72 percent and the proportion of pine 16 percent during the period 2020-2024. In Northern Norrland, spruce accounted for 31 percent and pine for 59 percent of the harvested volume. The distribution of felling by tree species has remained fairly unchanged for the country as a whole since the beginning of the 2000s.
All land use classes excluding urban areas. Including alpine areas (2017-). Outside formally protected areas (-2002). Including formally protected areas (2003-). Five-year average, represented by the middle year for example 2010/21-2024/25=2022. Year represents the start of a felling season for example 2024 represents the period from bud opening 2024 to bud opening 2025.
Net felling
Net felling in 2025 amounted to 70.5 million solid cubic meters under bark (m3fub). Net felling is the harvested volume of all tree trunks which are fully or partially recovered. Just under one-half of the net fellings consisted of sawlogs of conifers, 44 percent of pulpwood and 8 percent of firewood.
Compared with 2024, we estimate that the harvest of coniferous sawlogs has decreased by 1 percent, while the harvest of pulpwood has remained about the same. The harvest of roundwood for energy purposes has decreased by 4 percent.
Total net and gross fellings in the unit m3sk (standing volume) have been revised from year 2000 due to revised conversion factor.
Harvested area
On average, 209,000 hectares were felled and 313,000 hectares thinned per year during the period 2020–2024. Compared to the period 2019–2023, the final harvested area has decreased by 9 percent and the thinned area has increased by 5 percent.
This means that 0.9 percent of the total productive forest land was felled and 1.4 percent thinned annually during the period 2020-2024. The area refers to productive forest land excluding formally protected forest land.
Average felling area
The average final felling for fellings larger than 0.5 hectares in 2025 was 3.5 hectares.
Size of final fellings by part of the country:
- Northern Norrland 5.1 hectares
- Southern Norrland 4.3 hectares
- Svealand 3.4 hectares
- Götaland 2.3 hectares
Size of final fellings by owner category:
- Individual forest owners 2.9 hectares
- Other forest owners 4.6 hectares
Outside formally protected areas based on the most current boundaries. Five-year average, represented by the middle year for example 2020/21-2024/25=2022. Year represents the start of a felling season for example 2024 represents the period from bud opening 2024 to bud opening 2025.
Harvesting of branches and tops
The harvesting of branches and tops for energy purposes on the final felled area was carried out on average on 73,000 hectares per year during the period 2020–2024. This corresponds to approximately 35 percent of the total harvested area. The final harvested area with harvesting of branches and tops has since 2012 varied between 66,000 - 82,000 hectares per year.
Harvesting och branches and tops during final felling is significantly more common in Götaland and Svealand than in Norrland. In Götaland, during the period 2020–2024, branches and tops was extracted on 63 percent of the final felled area and in Svealand on 45 percent of the area. In Southern Norrland and Northern Norrland, the corresponding proportions were 21 and 10 percent, respectively.