Estimation of Spanish Forest Machinery Pool: Types, Number, and Brands of Spanish Forest Machines.

In Spain, there not exist an official record about forest machines, so it is not possible to precisely know the number of the different forest machine types. As those are relevant data for forest planning, a survey among all the forest machines manufacturers and dealers in Spain has been performed in 2022, giving a reasonable estimation of the forest machines number, classified by their type (skidders, forwarders, adapted farm tractors, several kinds of forest harvesters and feller-bunchers – wheeled or tracked dedicated forest harvesters and felling and harvesting heads mounted on excavators -). The number of machines from the different domestic manufacturers or imported brands have also been assessed. After the last published estimation at the beginning of 21st century, a very strong increase in CTL forest machines has been detected – from 250 to more than 1,2 thousand forwarders and a slightly greater number of different types of wood harvesters, coming from 150 machines at 2000 - along with a decrease in skidders and adapted farm tractors. The number of biomass bundlers – around one hundred, most of them fabricated by Iberian manufacturers - is remarkable. As annual wood fellings follow a slightly growing trend, it is expectable that the forest machinery pool will keep on growing, still following a slower rhythm.