In the area of three forest districts of the forest inspectorates, dead trees make up 1/4 of all the stands. They are a serious problem and a grave threat to the life and health of the local residents and tourists. In addition, they are an important factor that is conducive to forest fires. According to data from the Headquarters of the State Fire Service, from the beginning of this year to the 22nd of April, a total of 2,978 fires were recorded in all forests. This is twice as much as in the same period in 2018.

Recently, I met with the inhabitants of these areas, who called on us to do something quickly, since the fire risk is growing and the tourist traffic is decreasing in the Primeval Forest. These calls do not fall on deaf ears and the Ministry of Environment has prepared a number of documents that are necessary to solve the problems in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, said Minister Henryk Kowalczyk.

The planned activities of the ministry and the State Forests are a compromise proposal which will be submitted for consultation to scientists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, local governments and residents.

All proposed changes concerning commercial forests in the Białowieża Primeval Forest will be implemented in a manner fully compliant with the judgement of the CJEU, requirements related to the Natura 2000 protected area, requirements pertaining to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the binding provisions of national legal acts in force.

For the Ministry of Environment, reducing the threat to people, forests and nature in the areas of these three districts is paramount, particularly in the military base located near Hajnówka, which is of key importance for the defence of the eastern flank of the country. We want to give the foresters the ability to deal with the situation at hand, which is required from them by Polish law, Minister Kowalczyk added.

Drafting proposals

Within the next three years, the three forest districts are to remove a maximum of 155,000 m3 of trees, which constitutes 0.6% of the total resources located in the area of the three districts. Moreover, as much as 72% of them (112,000 m3) will be removed from areas outside the Białowieża Primeval Forest in the former agricultural forests in Browsk and in the area of the military base.

The proposals presented today will be submitted to the Regional Directorate of Environmental Protection, since it is the competent authority in this regard. At the same time, we are going to launch a public consultation, allowing all stakeholders to comment on the documentation we prepared. All submitted comments will be meticulously analysed on an ongoing basis. After this whole process, we are going to draft the final version of the document, Vice–Minister Małgorzata Golińska claimed.