Austria's Forests
Forest bathing, forest walks, and hiking between the trees

About 48% of Austria’s land area is covered by forest. That’s 4 million hectares of forest.

Spruce leads the way with 49.2% of the forest area, followed by beech with 10.2%. Overall, the share of conifers is falling, while the proportion of broadleaved trees is rising.

The Rothwald primeval forest in the Dürrenstein-Lassingtal Wilderness Area in Lower Austria is the largest remnant of primeval forest in the entire Alpine arc. Since 2017, the wilderness area has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe'.

Deadwood provides a habitat for countless forest organisms and is part of the natural nutrient cycle: as it decomposes, nutrients are released, and deadwood also stores water and carbon. Around 20 to 30% of the fungi, lichens, mosses, snails, beetles, birds and mammals found in forests depend on deadwood.

Around 81% of Austria's forest area is privately owned, with the remaining 19% in public ownership. Some 137,000 owners share the privately owned forest between them.

Source: Austrian National Forest Inventory

Among the trees, everything changes: leaves rustle, the ground gives way underfoot, light falls through the canopy and, depending on the season, the air smells of earth, foliage or resin.

For centuries, people have used the forest and its resources. Timber provided building material and fuel, and was used for tools and for cooking. To this day, the forest remains part of Austria's culture and everyday history.

The rustle of leaves, the scent of resin, the texture of different barks, light and shade: on foot, you can see, hear, smell and feel the forest.

On a walk in the woods, the next step isn't dictated by deadlines or screens but by the path, the terrain and your own pace. Sometimes you're crossing soft forest floor, sometimes your eye is caught by an old tree or a clearing.