According to the latest census, Bulgaria has a population of 3,744,283, which means there is about one hectare of forest per person.
The forests can be divided based on the height of the trees:
1,060,463.8 hectares have trees of above-average height, about one-quarter of which are conifers.
1,980,662.8 hectares have trees of average height or shorter.
Forest Productivity
The annual productive capacity of forests varies according to the type and age of the trees:
100-year-old hardwood forest (tall trees): 3.05 m³ per hectare
20-year-old hardwood forest (low growth): 2.45 m³ per hectare
100-year-old softwood forest (tall trees): 5.69 m³ per hectare
20-year-old softwood forest (low growth): 4.15 m³ per hectare
When adjusted to standard density, the productivity is:
100-year-old tall hardwood forest: 1.50 m³ per hectare
20-year-old low-growth hardwood forest: 1.22 m³ per hectare
100-year-old tall softwood forest: 2.84 m³ per hectare
20-year-old low-growth softwood forest: 2.07 m³ per hectare
The total value of Bulgaria’s forests is estimated at about 600 million francs.
Timber Export and Import
Bulgaria exports and imports all types of wood, both raw and manufactured. Between 1898 and 1902, the average export was 30,206,648 kilograms of timber, worth 1,205,146 francs, while the average import was 36,773,886 kilograms, costing 1,917,080 francs Balkan Tours.
The import of timber has decreased from 3,542,078 kg in 1898 to 1,267,238 kg in 1902, while exports increased from 1,016,639 kg to 1,563,691 kg over the same period.
Most of Bulgaria’s imports are softwood, while 50.5% of exports are conifers. Main export destinations include:
Turkey: 85%
Serbia: 3%
Romania: 2%
Austria-Hungary: 0.7%
Other countries (Germany, France, Greece, Belgium, Egypt): 7%
The main sources of imported wood were Austria-Hungary (81%), Romania (10%), and Turkey and Serbia (8%).