Denmark has a total land area of 42,924 square kilometers and a population of 5.7 million people. It is located in Northern Europe and borders Germany to the south. Denmark's forests are mainly located in northern Zealand, the ridge of Jutland, and the island of Bornholm. Approximately 50% of Denmark's forest area is made up of coniferous trees like Norway Spruce, which were imported 200-300 years ago. Around 45% of forests are deciduous trees native to Denmark. Despite efforts to increase reforestation since the 1800s, Denmark still has low forest cover of around 14.1% compared to other European countries. Preserving biodiversity in natural forests is now a key objective for

1. “Forests Of Denmark”
Vivek Chauhan
16091

2. Geography
• Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Europe.
• The southernmost and smallest of the Nordic
countries, it is south-west of Sweden and south of
Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany.
• The Kingdom of Denmark is a sovereign state that
comprises Denmark proper and two autonomous
countries in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe
Islands and Greenland.
• Denmark has an area of 42,924 square kilometres
and a population of 5.7 million.

3. Borders
• Denmark has existed with its current borders since
1921.
• The only terrestrial border of Denmark is that with
Germany, with a length of 68 km.
• The border along the territorial waters with Sweden
runs along the Øresund (a strait which forms the Danish–
Swedish border, separating Denmark from Sweden) for
115 km.
• The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Denmark borders
those of Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the United
Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Canada.

5. Forests
• In Denmark, the sparse forest areas are mainly located in Northern
Zealand, the high ridge of Jutland, and on the island of Bornholm.
The Danish forests are dominated by conifers which make up
approximately 50% of the total forest area. Conifers thrive in soil
that is poor in nutritional value and are able to grow on heaths and
dunes. Such soil is prevalent in large areas of Denmark, especially in
Jutland.
• Conifers are, however, not indigenous to Denmark, but were
imported 200-300 years ago. The Norway Spruce, for example, was
imported from other European countries, and today it is the most
common tree in Denmark, covering 19% of the total forest area.
Other imported species include the Sitka Spruce and the Douglas Fir
from North America.
• Around 45% of the forests are made up of deciduous trees, which
are indigenous to Denmark. Because deciduous trees do not grow
as fast as conifers, they are less profitable and conifers are
therefore more prevalent in the Danish forest landscape.

6. Ownership Status Of Forests

7. Origin Of Forest

8. Increment
• The increment of the forest stocks is assessed by the NFI (Indicator 3.1 Forest
Europe).
• The Gross increment varies over -1 3 ha-1 Y-1 the country with a minimum of 8.9
m3 ha-1 Y-1 in the middle of Jutland and a maximum of 12.5 m on 3 ha-1 Y-1
Zealand.
• The net increment varies from 0 in the Capital region to 4 m on Zealand. The
positive net increment so far leads to a continued accumulation of volume and
carbon stock in the forests as a whole.
• The increment is a product of site, species, and the structure of the forest - i.e. the
size, age and volume of the trees in the forest and the applied forest management.
• The results from the NFI confirm the findings from long term field experiments
that have been followed for 20-150 years (IGN 2018) in terms of increment rates
and variation with species and site conditions.
• The NFI gives additional information on the species composition, the age
structure, and the actual coverage of the forests, which often ranges from 10-100
% with a mean crown cover of 80-85 %.

9. Deforestation
• Deforestation occurs in Denmark mainly to give area for nature
restoration and urban development.
• In the previous reporting period's deforestation have been limited
in Denmark, but a few years the area have been larger.
• This has been cause be e.g. nature restoration projects have
removed wood vegetation fulfilling the criteria of the forest
definition, and thereby accounted as deforestation.
• Although no real change is observed in forest canopy cover, this
causes some areas to change land use from 'forest area' to
'grasslands' and hence be accounted as deforestation.
• This effect is expected cease in the period 2020- 2035.
• The deforestation is expected to be 116 ha Y-1 in the period 2018 -
2035, corresponding to a change in land use due to new
settlements, infrastructure and nature restoration as the main
drivers of deforestation in the period.

10. Species
• The natural vegetation in Denmark, in the absence of human
influence, would be mixed deciduous forests.
• However, increasing population, agriculture, and settlements have
altered the vegetation of Denmark.
• Today most of the forests are a result of afforestation over more
than 200 years.
• Of these, many are non-native to Denmark (e.g. Norway spruce,
larch and Nordmann fir), and some have their natural habitats in
continents outside Europe (e.g. Sitka spruce, Douglas fir and grand
fir).
• In total, approximately 43 % of the forest area is covered by non-
native tree species (Forest Europe Indicator 4.4). The species
composition by area, results in approximately 50/50 distribution of
broadleaved and coniferous forests (Figure 6 Indicator 4.1 Forest
Europe).

12. Composition Of Forest

13. Biodiversity
• Denmark belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and can be subdivided into two
ecoregions: the Atlantic mixed forests and Baltic mixed forests.
• Almost all of Denmark's primeval temperate forests have been destroyed
or fragmented, for agricultural purposes. The deforestation has created large
swaths of heathland and sand drifts. There are several larger second growth
woodlands in the country and 12.9% of the land is now forested.
• Roe deer occupy the countryside, and large-antlered red deer can be found
in the sparse woodlands of Jutland.
Denmark is home to smaller mammals, such as polecats, hares and
hedgehogs.
400 bird species inhabit Denmark and 160 of those breed in the country.
Large marine mammals include healthy populations of porpoise, growing
numbers of pinnipeds and occasional visits of large whales, including blue
whales and orcas. Cod, herring and plaice are abundant fish in Danish waters
and form the basis for a large fishing industry.

15. Opportunities and challenges
• Despite the fact that most of Denmark was originally covered with
forest, Denmark only has 14.1% forest cover today, which
corresponds to 608,078 hectares. This is however a progression
since 1800 when Denmark had just 2-3% forest cover left because
of intensive and uncontrolled logging in favor of agriculture. Efforts
to increase the forest cover were initiated in 1805 with the Danish
Forest Act and the forests continue to expand today. However,
Denmark is still very poor in forestland - also compared to Europe
as whole.
• Thus, the efforts to increase reforestation in Denmark must
continue and in addition to this, it has become an urgent matter
and a key objective to preserve the biodiversity of the natural
forests. Natural forests are characterized by a large numbers of
trees, a variety of species, and a mix of old and new plants. Forestry
practices should take this diversity into account and allow for an
abundance of flora and fauna.

16. Forgotten Giants
• Artist Thomas Dambo has brought to life a new project:
“The 6 Forgotten Giants.” The project consists of six
large hidden sculptures, made from various types of
recycled wood, with the help of local volunteers in
Copenhagen. The recycled wood used for the
breathtaking giants varies from scrap wood, to cut offs
from old trees, to buildings that have been torn down.
• The aim of this project is to bring art out of the
museum and show the alluring nature of the outskirts
of Western Copenhagen. Each giant is hidden in a
beautiful location, and Thomas encourages individuals
to go on a treasure hunt, using the map to find them.

18. Camp Adventure Tower
• The 45-meter-tall hourglass tower is made from Corten steel
and locally sourced wood to blend in with the natural surroundings.
You climb the tower via a 900-meter-long boardwalk and the
spiralling path is an experience in itself.
• Interactive, integrated elements tell visitors about the forest and
from the forest floor to the wooden crowns, you can study the
trees up close at eye level. Furthermore, the walkway also includes
a range of design features like looping pathways, bleacher seating
and bridges.
• The Forest Tower is located at Camp Adventure Park in the
preserved forest “Gisselfeld Klosters Skove”, one hour south of
Copenhagen. Taking a trip to the south of Sealand, allows you to
take a break from sightseeing and get close to local nature. In
addition to the new tower, the park also offers the longest zip line
in Northern Europe and different treetop climbing experiences.

21. Contribution Of Forests To GDP

22. • https://sl.ku.dk/rapporter/forest-landscape-
research/FLR_26_1999.pdf
• https://www.forestsoftheworld.org/programs/denmark
• https://www.foresteurope.org/documentos/State_of_Euro
pes_Forests_2011_Report_Revised_November_2011.pdf
• https://oldnewsclub.com/camp-adventure-forest-tower-in-
denmark/
• https://mymodernmet.com/thomas-dambo-giant-wood-
sculptures/
• https://efkm.dk/media/12542/danishnationalforestaccount
ingplan_2019.pdf

23. Thank You..!