Forests cover 45% of the total national territory of Montenegro.

State owned forests and forest land make up 67% of the total surface, while remaining 33% are privately owned. About 56% of the land is managed with a single species type of forest (in either conifers or deciduous trees), while the remainder consists of various mixed species. The main deciduous forest types are beech and oak; the major coniferous forest types are spruce-fir, while the mixed stands are composed of beech, oak and other species, along with fir and spruce.

Among all European regions, the Mediterranean appears most vulnerable to global change. Multiple potential impacts are related primarily to increased temperatures and reduced precipitation. The impacts included water shortages, increased risk of forest fires, northward shifts in the distribution of typical tree species, and losses of agricultural potential. Mountain regions also seemed vulnerable because of a rise in the elevation of snow cover and altered river runoff regimes

Data show that 30% to 35% of forests in Montenegro are in various stages of degradation. It is a general conclusion that conifer forests are getting much more damaged compared to the broadleaf stands. The particularly vulnerable forests include spruce and beechin the subalpine belt, beech and fir forestsbelonging to the Dinaric vegetation zone, and sub-Mediterranean forests of oak and hornbeam. Of particular concern are high percentages of dry spruce fir forests in the area of Kolašin and of fir forests in the southwestern region of the country, which is particularly affected by drought on shallow soils.