Poland is one of the European countries with a high forest potential. In terms of forest area it is sixth in the European Union, in terms of raw material resources fourth, and in terms of wood removals fifth. This has a strong influence on the wood processing industries, closely related to forestry, in terms of their development and competitiveness not only on domestic market, but also on international markets.
The wood processing industries are important for the development of the entire Polish economy. The wood industry and its branches generate 0.6% of gross domestic product in Poland (2016), manufacture 2.8% of total production of industry (3.3% of manufacturing) and create 2.7% of industry’s gross added value (3.6% of manufacturing). Those branches are made up of more than 32 thou. companies (2017), of which almost 93% employ less than 10 persons, and little more than 1% 50 and more persons. The wood industry accounts for 2.8% of sold production of the entire Polish industry and for 3.2% of sold production of manufacturing.
Recently employment in the wood industry has grown systematically – up to 110 thou. people in 2016 and, according to the estimates, should reach 113-115 thou. in 2017. This is 4% of average employment in the entire industry and 4.6% in manufacturing.
