29% of Global Forests Designated for Production by 2025

According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the total global forest area will reach 4.14 billion hectares (ha) in 2025.

Approximately 1.2 billion ha (29%) of this is managed for the production of wood and non-wood forest products.

Furthermore, 616 million ha (15%) are designated for multiple-use, which often includes production functions.

"The largest forest area designated for production is in Europe, covering 548 million ha. This figure is more than half of the forest area in the region and almost half of the global production forest area," said the FAO in its "Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025" report.

However, during the period 1990-2025, the global forest area designated for production decreased by 29.8 million ha, and multiple-use forests decreased by 97.5 million ha.

In addition to these two functions, there are global forests designated for biodiversity conservation, covering 482 million ha (12%) in 2025. This area increased by 118 million ha compared to 1990.

"Africa has the largest forest area designated for biodiversity conservation, covering 130 million ha, equivalent to 20% of the forest area in that region," said the FAO.

Furthermore, approximately 386 million ha (9%) of global forests are designated for soil and water protection, an increase of 123 million ha compared to 1990.

Europe has the largest forest area for soil and water protection, at 173 million ha, equivalent to 17% of the total forest area in that region. However, the largest proportion of forests designated for this function is in Asia, at 20%.

There are also 221 million ha (5%) of global forests allocated for social services in 2025, such as recreation, tourism, education, research, and the conservation of cultural and spiritual sites.

The area of forests for social services increased by 79.2 million ha compared to 1990, with the highest rate of increase occurring in the 2015-2025 period. The South American region has the largest area of social service forests, at 154 million ha.

Below is the complete list of global forest proportions by primary management objective in 2025, according to the FAO:

• Production: 29%
• Multiple-use: 15%
• Biodiversity conservation: 12%
• Soil and water protection: 9%
• Social services (recreation, education, research, cultural conservation): 5%
• Other: 7%
• No designation: 4%
• Unknown: 18%