Forestry, sample survey of agriculture and forestry (discontinued), 2004, final figures

Forest owners with 25 to 500 hectares of productive forest area are most likely to live in the same municipality as their forest is situated. Among forest owners with more than 2 000 hectares of productive forest area, one in three does not live in the municipality where the forest is situated.

One in seven has tertiary education

The forest owners' education level is slightly lower than in the population as a whole. While figures from the statistics on education show that 23.5 per cent of the population had tertiary education in 2003, this only applied to 18 per cent of the forest owners. The main reason for this difference is the high average age and the low number of young women among forest owners.

Forest owners become older

The average age among forest owners was 55 in 2003. The average age has increased by almost two years since 1989. In the same period the number of forest owners older than 40 years of age has increased, and the fall in the number of forest owners younger than 40 years of age has been 30 per cent.

One in four forest owners is a woman

In 2003, the proportion of female forest owners was highest among the youngest and oldest owners. Among forest owners younger than 30 years of age, one in three is a woman. Half of the forest owners older than 70 years are women. The main reason for this is that women live longer than men. In comparison, 17 per cent of the forest owners were women in 1989.

Forest owners' labour input

Forest owners carry out less of the harvesting themselves. In 2003, harvesters carried out 85 per cent of the removals. 20 years ago they did less than 15 per cent of the harvesting. The forest owners' average labour input in practical and administrative work, including labour input from spouses or cohabitants and hired help, was 8 man-hours per 10 hectares of productive forest area in 2003. The average labour input per 100 cubic meters of removals was 68 man-hours. Labour input carried out by contractors and self-employed people is not included.

More results from the Sample Survey of Forestry 2004 are available in these two articles: Three quarters of forest area profitable and NOK 650 million in gross income from outfield activities

The tables from the articles have been updated with final figures and can be opened at the bottom of this page. The differences between preliminary and final figures are limited.

Tables:

• Table 1 Forest area to personal forest owners who live in a different county or municipality from where the forest they own is situated. Per cent. 2003 (Corrected 4 July 2005)
• Table 2 Man-hours spent on forestry, by productive forest area and removals of roundwood. 2003
• Table 3 Forest properties, by forest owners age, sex, highest education level and productive forest area
• Table 4 Profitable area as part of productive forest area, by county and productive forest area. 2003. Per cent
• Table 5 Properties, by size of productive forest area and county. 2003. Decares
• Table 6 Productive forest area, by size of productive forest area. and county. 2003
• Table 7 Removals for sale, by type and method of felling. 2003. Per cent
• Table 8 Management plan, by county. 2003
• Table 9 Gross income for 2003 in suplementary industries that utilise the properties' area and resources in forest and other outfields. NOK 1 000 exclusive value added tax
• Table 10 Labour input in supplementary industries that utilised the properties' area and resources in forest and other outfields, by county, productive forest area and labour category. 2003. Hours
• Table 11 Labour input, by county and size of productive forest area. 2003. Man-hours
• Table 12 Forest area planted or seeded by county and productive forest area. 2003
• Table 13 Forest area with young forest tended, by county and size of productive forest area. 2003