2022 was the sunniest year in Germany and, together with 2018, it was also the hottest year since systematic meteorological records began. Long heatwaves and little precipitation during the growing season have characterized last year, as is stated in the Timber Market Report 2022 of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
There was a decrease in unplanned logging activity compared to previous years (2021: 51 million m³; 2020: 60 million m³). At around 45 million m³, however, unplanned harvesting still accounted for over half of the total logging volume in 2022. 67% of spruce trees were harvested following calamities. In the case of beech trees, the percentage was 31%.
At 41 million m³, harvesting in privately owned forests accounted for 52% of total logging. 13.5 million m³ (17%) were harvested in corporate forests and 24 million m³ (31%) in the Federal State Forests. Of the German federal states, Bavaria harvested the biggest volume of log wood, i.e. 20.9 million m³, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (11.7 million m³), Baden-Württemberg (9.8 million m³), Lower Saxony (6.3 million m³), Hesse (5.6 million m³) and Thuringia (5.2 million m³).
In 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia recorded a year-on-year decrease of 39% in the logging volume, while the harvest volume was 25% smaller in Hesse. Logging increased in the states of Bavaria (+10%), Saxony (+9%), Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia with +7% each.
Spruce (52.8 million m³) accounted for around two thirds of overall logging, followed by pine with 13.4 million m³ (17%), beech with 10.7 million m³ (13.7%) and oak with 1.8 million m³ (2.3%). In 2021, 62 million m³ of spruce wood had been harvested, i.e. nearly 10 million m³ or 15% more than last year. The pine wood harvest volume increased by 3.4 million m³ or 33% in 2022. The beech harvest volume (+18%) has hit the double digits for the first time since 2018 (11 million m³). Oak wood logging saw a 3% increase compared to 2021.
In 2022, 45.9 million m³ or 58% of the harvested wood were sawlogs, while other types of log wood, such as industrial wood, wood sold by the stere or energy wood, accounted for 32.7 million m³ or 42%. Around two thirds of the harvested spruce wood were sawlogs, while the share of sawlogs was 24% for beech and 54% for pine.
At 5.1 million m³, energy wood accounted for around half of the harvested beech wood, while the share was 694,000 m³ or 38% in the case of oak wood.
| Year | Oak | Beech | Pine/Larch | Spruce/Fir | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,808 | 10,691 | 13,378 | 52,809 | 78,686 |
| 2021 | 1,755 | 9,071 | 10,058 | 62,072 | 82,957 |
| 2020 | 1,362 | 8,847 | 8,044 | 62,167 | 80,420 |
| 2019 | 1,740 | 9,977 | 9,321 | 47,834 | 68,872 |
| 2018 | 2,032 | 10,996 | 12,100 | 39,423 | 64,550 |
| 2017 | 1,948 | 10,649 | 12,017 | 28,878 | 53,491 |
| 2016 | 2,135 | 11,007 | 12,574 | 26,478 | 52,194 |
| 2015 | 2,079 | 11,484 | 12,564 | 29,486 | 55,613 |
| 2014 | 2,211 | 12,017 | 13,293 | 26,834 | 54,356 |
| 2013 | 2,245 | 12,071 | 13,533 | 25,359 | 53,207 |
| 2012 | 2,050 | 11,824 | 13,254 | 25,210 | 52,338 |
| 2011 | 2,188 | 12,244 | 13,611 | 28,099 | 56,142 |
| 2010 | 1,802 | 10,176 | 11,995 | 30,445 | 54,418 |
| 2009 | 1,688 | 9,336 | 10,110 | 26,940 | 48,073 |
| 2008 | 2,089 | 10,525 | 11,177 | 31,576 | 55,367 |
| 2007 | 2,135 | 10,981 | 13,235 | 50,377 | 76,728 |
| 2006 | 2,484 | 10,320 | 12,279 | 37,207 | 62,290 |
| 2005 | 2,202 | 8,802 | 11,352 | 34,590 | 56,946 |
| 2004 | 2,017 | 8,668 | 10,345 | 33,475 | 54,505 |
| 2003 | 2,068 | 8,786 | 9,771 | 30,557 | 51,182 |
| 2002 | 1,562 | 7,640 | 9,200 | 23,977 | 42,380 |
| 2001 | 1,819 | 8,957 | 8,896 | 19,810 | 39,482 |
| 2000 | 1,677 | 8,747 | 9,021 | 34,265 | 53,710 |
| 1999 | 1,456 | 8,269 | 9,246 | 18,665 | 37,636 |
| 1998 | 1,429 | 8,054 | 9,238 | 20,332 | 39,053 |
