No study has been previously completed on the range of sites, potential yield, and financial characteristics of poplar short rotation coppice plantations (SRC) in Hungary. This paper conducts a literature survey to reveal the biomass production potential of such plantations and presents a model that is used to analyze their financial performance. The results indicate that the break-even-point of production is between 6 and 8 oven-dry tons per hectare per year once a minimum cost level and wood chip price within a 10% range of the 2020 value are considered. The higher the wood chip price, the lower the break-even-point. Since the model excluded the administrative costs that depend on the type and size of the management organization, the break-even-points can be significantly higher in reality, which suggests that short rotation energy plantations can be a financially reasonable land-use option in above average or even superior poplar-growing sites. The rotation period of industrial poplar plantations that produce high quality veneer logs ranges from 12 to 25 years. Though such sites can provide higher returns on investment, short rotation plantations have the advantage of providing a more evenly distributed cash flow. To facilitate the wider application of poplar SRC, the related policies need to apply specific subsidies and allow the rotation cycle to be extended up to 20–25 years, which is currently limited to 15 years.

Ecosystem services—the benefits humans derive from nature—are foundational to environmental sustainability and economic well-being, with carbon sequestration and storage standing out as critical regulating services in the fight against climate change. This study presents a comprehensive financial valuation of the carbon sequestration, storage and product substitution ecosystem services provided by the Hungarian forest-based sector. Using a multi-scenario framework, four complementary valuation concepts are assessed: total carbon storage (biomass, soil, and harvested wood products), annual net sequestration, emissions avoided through material and energy substitution, and marketable carbon value under voluntary carbon market (VCM) and EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) mechanisms. Data sources include the National Forestry Database, the Hungarian Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and national estimates on substitution effects and soil carbon stocks. The total carbon stock of Hungarian forests is estimated at 1289 million tons of CO₂ eq, corresponding to a theoretical climate liability value of over EUR 64 billion. Annual sequestration is valued at approximately 380 million EUR/year, while avoided emissions contribute an additional 453 million EUR/year in mitigation benefits. A comparative analysis of two mutually exclusive crediting strategies—improved forest management projects (IFMs) avoiding final harvesting versus long-term carbon storage through the use of harvested wood products—reveals that intensified harvesting for durable wood use offers higher revenue potential (up to 90 million EUR/year) than non-harvesting IFM scenarios. These findings highlight the dual role of forests as both carbon sinks and sources of climate-smart materials and call for policy frameworks that integrate substitution benefits and long-term storage opportunities in support of effective climate and bioeconomy strategies.

This study examines environmental attitudes toward the production and utilization of firewood. A telephone survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted. The survey yielded 603 usable responses, and the analysis revealed that firewood users exhibited strong support for two fundamental environmental concepts: the notion that harvesting firewood from healthy trees is acceptable and the assertion that firewood is, in principle, carbonneutral. However, a significant proportion of respondents also expressed concerns that firewood use may potentially contribute to forest degradation and increase climate change. To further explore these attitudes, respondents were categorized into three distinct groups. A statistical analysis revealed significant differences among these groups in educational attainment and standard of living. Attitudes towards complex environmental issues are predominantly influenced by emotions that reflect general environmental concerns due to the public’s limited knowledge base, which hinders factual assessments.

A földhivatali nyilvántartás adatainak teljes körű elemzése alapján elmondható, hogy a legalább 0,5 ha nagyságú, erdő művelési ágban levő és nem a magyar állam kizárólagos tulajdonát képező erdőterületek tulajdonosainak száma csaknem 425 ezer fő magánszemély és 3 ezer gazdasági, önkormányzati, egyházi és civil szervezet. A tanulmány elsősorban a magánszemély tulajdonosok helyzetét elemzi, és megállapítja, hogy a férfi és a női tulajdonosok létszáma közel azonos, de a férfiak tulajdonát képező erdőterület csaknem kétszer akkora, mint a női tulajdonosok erdőterülete. A tulajdonosok több mint fele községben él, egynegyede kisvárosban, egyötöde pedig nagyvárosban; a külföldön, vagy ismeretlen helyen élők aránya elenyésző. Az átlagos tulajdoni nagyság 1,85 ha, a tulajdoneloszlás jelentősen koncentrált. Míg a tulajdonosok egyharmada 0,1 ha-nál kisebb tulajdonnal rendelkezik és az általuk tulajdonlott erdőterület csak 0,6%-os részesedést tesz ki, addig a 10 ha-nál nagyobb erdőterületű tulajdonosok a 3,1%-os létszámarány mellett 55,0% területarányt érnek el. A tulajdonosok kétharmadának egyetlen földrészletben van csak tulajdona, és ugyanekkora arányú a tulajdonuktól legfeljebb 10 km távolságra lakóké is.