The biggest owners

Who really owns the Austrian forests

The forest area can be used by everyone for recreational purposes, but a large proportion is accounted for by a few large owners.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Austria is a country rich in green forests. Across the country, the land is owned by rich families, Catholic monasteries or the public sector. The "Krone" shows who the largest forest owners are and why almost everyone holds on to them despite the low yields.

Around half of Austria is covered with forest. The ownership structures have evolved historically. The largest single owners are the public federal forests, which own around 15 percent of the forest area, or over half a million hectares. However, private forest owners clearly account for the largest share. They own 80 percent of the national area.