Forest owners maintain timber felling during the pandemic, with a turnover of €222.5 million.
The forestry sector in Galicia has once again proven to be resilient to cyclical crises. During the Covid-19 pandemic, forest owners in Galicia maintained logging volumes at a similar level to the previous year and achieved a turnover of €222.5 million, according to calculations by the Forestry Association of Galicia, based on logging data from the Regional Ministry of Rural Affairs.
Apart from the first few months of lockdown, which slowed activity across the entire timber supply chain, community woodland associations and private landowners continued to manage their woodlands in much the same way as in previous years, carrying on with silvicultural work, fire prevention measures, plantings and routine felling.
Total revenue from timber sales in 2020 amounted to €222.5 million, of which €157.4 million was from eucalyptus and €65.1 million from pine, according to estimates from the Galician Forestry Association. Compared to 2019, owners' turnover fell by 8.5%, mainly due to the drop in eucalyptus price, while pine remained at similar figures to recent years.
By region, the one with the highest turnover for forest owners is Bergantiños – Mariñas Coruñesas, with €31.2 million earned from timber sales in 2020. It is followed by Ferrol – Ortegal, with €29.7 million, and the Lucense Mariña, with €29.6 million.
By species, Ferrol – Ortegal leads in eucalyptus revenue (€27.2 million), followed by the Lucense Mariña (€26.2 million) and Bergantiños – Coruñan Marinas (€26 million). In pine, the Lugo–Sarria region stands out, with €11.6 million in conifer sales, followed by Terra Chá (€7.3 million) and Fonsagrada–Ancares (€6.2 million).
As for broad-leaved deciduous species, it is not possible to provide reliable revenue figures, since they account for less than 3.1 per cent of Galicia's commercial felling and, moreover, exhibit diversity in species and qualities. The main use of broad-leaved species continues to be domestic firewood.
