More than half of Europe's forests, not including Russia and other CIS countries, are privately owned. Private owners play a key role in sustaining forest ecosystems, enhancing rural development and supplying resources to markets. Nevertheless, a significant lack of knowledge remains on private forest ownership in Europe. A joint enquiry was conducted during 2006-2007 by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the

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... l Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE, now Forest Europe) and the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF) in an attempt to contribute to closing this knowledge gap. A questionnaire was addressed to 38 MCPFE member countries with records of private forestry. Twenty-three countries participated through submitting national reports, mostly for the year 2005