Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment plans to exclude about 20% of state forests from management, transforming them into "social forests" with limited control. Such measures aimed at preventing uncontrolled logging will focus on forests near urban agglomerations, which can improve attitudes towards the natural environment.
However, there are protests among foresters. They argue that this approach to forest policy will lead to passive forest protection that is not effective in maintaining biodiversity. Marta Senk, a specialist in nature conservation and forestry education, expresses concern about the direction of forest policy, which seems contradictory against the background of centuries of forestry practices that have increased the average age, area and number of forests in Poland.
The Ministry of Climate is planning to remove 20% of forests from forestry activities, which may negatively affect the forestry complex and lead to economic losses. Marta Senk draws attention to the fact that the introduction of restrictions requires more time, changes and decisions. She notes that many companies in Bieszczady have already lost their source of income due to restrictions on work in the forest.
According to foresters, the Ministry announced consultations, but they were offered only after the decisions were made. Subcarpathian forestry companies have expressed their dissatisfaction through petitions demanding consideration of local conditions and resistance to pseudo-scientific ecological theories that, they say, can harm the forest industry and the environment.
