Currently, the most important national policy development related to forestry and forest management is the transfer of ownership, rights to use and responsibilities for the management of what is ultimately planned to be 60 per cent of Albania’s forests and pastures to local communes. In 2009 the forestry lands (high forests, low forests/coppices, shrubs and other areas with forest vegetation) encompassed 1,071,880.2 ha, which accounts for 37.28 per cent of the territory of Albania. The structure of the Albanian forest resources (forest fund), namely its division into different forest types, surface covered and stand volume for the dominant forest species is presented in table 8.1. Areas overgrown by bushes accounted for some 24 per cent of the total forest area and 9.3 per cent of the total timber volume.