The new rules for timber sales in Poland have been announced by the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the State Forests and are expected to come into force in 2025. The main objective of these changes is to promote domestic timber processing at the expense of timber exports. Despite previous declarations on limiting timber exports in the coalition agreement, 100 concrete measures and the prime minister's exposé, they have so far remained at the announcement stage. In 2024, data showed that timber exports had increased by 22 percent, contradicting the government's promises.
Since February 2024, work has been underway to limit the increase in timber exports. As part of the new timber sales rules, it was decided to take greater account of non-price criteria in the form of the geography of purchase, the share of processed timber and the depth of processing. The weighting of these criteria will increase from 20 to 25 percent. Preference will be given to entrepreneurs who focus on domestic wood processing instead of exporting the raw material abroad.
One of the new elements introduced in the rules is greater consideration of non-price criteria. Raising their weighting to 25 percent is intended to favor companies that focus on domestic wood processing. The criteria introduced are: purchase geography (10 percent), share of processed wood (7.5 percent), and depth of processing (7.5 percent). The idea is to give an advantage to those who contribute to the development of the national wood industry, rather than those who focus on exporting the raw material.
However, there are concerns that the new rules could be easily circumvented by intermediaries, which could affect their effectiveness. There is a risk that these regulations will not have the desired effect if adequate control and enforcement mechanisms are not put in place. However, timber entrepreneurs hope that the new regulations will help reduce losses from large-scale exports and support domestic timber processing plants.
The government and the State Forests emphasize that the work on the new rules is part of a broader program aimed at strengthening the national timber economy and counteracting the depletion of forest resources. However, this process may face numerous challenges, especially in the context of global trends and the need for sustainable management of natural resources. The changes introduced are aimed at creating a more harmonious and sustainable model of forest use in Poland.
