The Seventh National Forest Inventory (NBI-7) of the Netherlands, commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Safety, was carried out in the period 2017–2021. This report describes the methods and basic results of the inventory. Forests cover 11% of the total land area of the Netherlands, but the total area decreased slightly in the period 2013–2021. Trends observed in previous inventories continue: on average, Dutch forests are getting older, more mixed and more uneven-aged. The average volume of living and dead wood continues to increase, but at a slower rate due to the dry summers in 2018–2020. Ash is affected greatly by ash dieback, while Norway spruce is suffering from drought and spruce bark beetle attacks. Gross annual increment has decreased, while fellings remained about constant. The shift from conifers to broadleaves is continuing, with broadleaves for the first time occupying more than half of the forested area.
