The ban on cutting down the most naturally valuable forests was met with outrage by foresters and representatives of the timber industry. Why? We explain.
At the beginning of January, the Ministry of Climate and Environment issued an order to state forests to suspend or limit the felling of the most naturally valuable forests.
We are moving from words to deeds – it’s time to move sawfish out of some Polish forests, said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate, announcing this decision.
The public welcomed the restriction. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about foresters and representatives of the timber industry.
The Ministry assures that they worked with experts, scientists, the public and foresters to develop the restrictions. they emphasize that this is an announcement of openness to dialogue with all parties. A team at the Ministry of Climate and Environment is being created to strengthen the protection of naturally valuable and socially important forests.
At the same time, Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment, Mikołaj Dorożała, emphasizes that decisions are necessary.
We need to think strategically about forests. We need to strengthen nature protection. The decision to stop or limit logging, which concerns 1.3% of the total area of the State Forests, is also an element of this, he said.
Which areas have been banned from logging?
The decision of the Ministry of Climate applies to the 10 most valuable locations.
- Borecka Forest
- Forests around the towns of Iwonicz-Zdrój and Rymanów-Zdrój.
- Świętokrzyska Forest,
- Augustów Forest,
- Knyszyńska Forest,
- Carpathian Forest,
- Bieszczady Mountains,
- Tricity Landscape Park,
- Wrocław – the so-called social forests
- Romincka Forest.
The mentioned areas are planned national parks, Natura 2000 areas, as well as protected landscape areas, which constitutes only 1.3%. all Polish forests.
The ministry’s arguments also included the issue of country security – the Augustów, Romincka and Knyszyńska Forests are located on the border of Belarus and the Russian Federation. If no logging is carried out in their area and old trees and wetlands are preserved, they may constitute a natural defensive barrier.
What are foresters’ concerns about?
As foresters argue in an interview with moeny.pl, the main concerns concern job loss. They emphasize that such decisions should not be made overnight.
Last week, employees of forest service plants took to the streets of Ustrzyki Dolne and protested against the decisions of the Ministry of Environmental Protection under the slogan “Let us live and work”.
Agreements with wood recipients have already been concluded. If the forest districts do not comply now, they will pay fines. Additionally, many people will be unemployed. Such decisions are not made overnight, a forester whose area has been banned by the Ministry of Climate tells money.pl.
Piotr Levelski, president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce of the Wood Industry, also speaks in a similar tone.
Even if the goals of the Ministry of Climate are noble, the recent decision can hardly be considered rational. It should be preceded by the opinion of independent experts, including an analysis of the current situation, showing what goals we set for ourselves and what social costs it will bring. This was not done at all. As a result, radical decisions were made which, even if they were justified in some respects, caused anxiety in the entire community because they were not preceded by dialogue, he emphasizes.
Large discrepancies with the ministry’s decisions can be seen in local governments. The authorities of some regions indicate that logging work is often the only chance to earn money and the main source of income for the local community.
It is necessary to find a consensus in this situation. It is crucial that the ministry, as a superior body representing the entire society, listens to everyone’s arguments and, on this basis, makes decisions that will also take into account a longer time schedule, says Piotr Levelski.
The Ministry has not remained indifferent to the voice of the industry. The deputy head of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Mikołaj Dorożała, announced that each Regional Directorate of State Forests will have a special coordinator who will be responsible for contacts, e.g. with forest service companies.
Dialogue on this matter is ongoing, he assured.
At the same time, foresters received a letter from the ministry that caused them consternation. The ministry writes in it that “it expects that the State Forests will guarantee forest service companies to perform work at the level resulting from the contracts concluded with them for this year.”
In my opinion, this letter suggests that forest districts that have been subject to restrictions on logging should plan their work differently, e.g. by obtaining contracts in other locations, especially since logging currently covers only a small part of forests in Poland – he says in an interview with money .pl Radosław Ślusarczyk from the Workshop for All Beings.
An audit is currently underway in the State Forests, which is checking the circumstances of the sale of residential premises from the resources of the State Forests. The Ministry has set itself the goal of reforming the principle of selling residential premises belonging to the State Forests.
However, auditors will not analyze the volume of timber harvested. Therefore, there will be no summaries or results regarding this issue – Hubert Różyk, spokesman for the Minister of Climate and Environment, informed money.pl.
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