Team of Specialists Meeting
to monitor and develop assistance
to countries of Central and Eastern Europe in transition
in the forest and forest products sector
Warsaw, Poland, March 4, 2004
Czech Republic
Karel Vančura, Kateřina Trejbalova,
Forestry Development Dept., Prague
CZECH REPUBLIC
General background information
Current status of the forest sector
 Increasing area of forest land (2 643 058 ha - 34%)
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Commercial forests - 76 %
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Increasing growing stock volume (641 mil CuM)
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Afforestation of agricultural land - 1 000 ha/year
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Average rotation period – 115.4 years
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Decreasing number of employees in forestry
sector - currently 25 700 persons
Forest condition and main problems
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forest (and biodiversity) losses due to the
industrial pollution (“Black Triangle”);
about 60% of forests are damaged on certain level;
still too high number of high deer (Cervideae) in forests.
Animals’ browsing and peeling bark significantly affects
the structure of species, ages, space and of course also
biodiversity within forest stands;
change of forest tree species composition (current ratio
of broadleaved /23%/ and coniferous is almost in
opposite to the natural one /65%/;
55% of forested area is artificially planted by Norway
spruce);
increasing share of broadleaved from 12.9 % in 1950 to
22.3 % in 2000;
new problems following transformation period (mainly
high number of new small forest owners).
National Forest Inventory
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The total forest area covering the territory of what is now the
Czech Republic was for the first time surveyed in 1790 under
the Joseph’s cadastre and amounted to 1,974,000 ha (which
was 25 % of the total area).
Figures from 1839 reported already 2,267,000 ha.
Between 1920 and 1960 the forest area increased by about
10% and it is 2,643,058 ha at the present time (2002)
Contemporary National Forest Inventory started in the last
year based on the governmental decision 193/2001 Coll. The
Forest Management Institute (FMI), as a government
organization established by the Ministry of Agriculture of the
Czech Republic is responsible for performing of this task.
Role of the Forestry Sector
„forest has become the important factor of
sociao-economic development of society“
GDP coming from forestry sector is relatively
small – about 0.6 to 0.7 %
NFP – cross sectoral matter, but involvement
in forestry issues not too high
Organizational changes – diminishing
of forestry in the structure of the Ministry
of Agriculture
Ownership
%
state
communal
regional
cooperatives private
year
2000
63.1
13.6
0.9
22.4
2001
61.5
14.6
0.9
23.0
2002
60.7
15.0
1.0
23.3
Changes in Forest Legislation
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Forest Act No. 289/1995 Coll.
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Game Management Act No. 449/2001 Coll.
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Act on marketing of Forest Reproductive Material
No. 149/2003 Coll.
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Protection of Nature and Landscape Act
No. 114/1992 Coll.
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New Forest Act ? – discussions should started
in 2004
Forest policy developments and related
institutional changes
• Conception of the state forestry policy
(1994 and 2000);
• Forest Act;
• National Forestry Programme
Institutional changes:
• Forests of the Czech Republic, S. E.
• Forestry research
Institutional framework
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Ministry of Agriculture
- state administration in forestry
Forest Management Institute
Forestry and Game Management
Research Institute
Forests of the Czech Republic,
State Enterprise
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Ministry of Environment
Forests of the Czech Republic, S. E.
Other organizations involved in forestry:
National Parks,
Protected Landscape Areas Administrations,
Nature and Landscape Protection Agency,
Forestry Faculties of Universities,
Association of Municipal and Private Forest Owners,
Czech Forest Society etc.
Forest policy developments and related
institutional changes
• International cooperation
FORAFIN
• Implication of the recent EU development
- not easy situation on the market (drop in
prices),
- new regulations, Forest Focus,
NATURA 2000
EU Enlargement
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General hope (not only in forestry) changes in behavior of some institutions?
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Not the same starting point:
- historically given different level of regulation
from the side of state (e. g. due to the nature
protection etc.)
- how to compensate forest owner struggling on
the free market?
- should be these conditions balanced somehow
in the future?
- should Community discussed such matter in
spite of the „principle of subsidiarity“ approach?
The main issues of the transition process
Arrangements of Rights in Property and Use
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Restitution – Act No. 229/1991 Coll.,
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Claims for restitution 355 000 ha,
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1 800 cases for decision of law courts,
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Forests of church (170 000 ha - 6% of total forest
area).
Transition in forestry,
changes in forest ownership
 central planning
market-oriented approach;
 economic and social spectrum effects of changes;
 private-sector has 145,000 new forest owners;
 small owners - 750,000 ha of forests, nearly 90 % have
on average less than 2 hectares of forest land;
Transformation process:
 restitution of forests to previous owners
 creation of legal entity Forests of the Czech Republic
 privatization of former enterprises through joint stock comp.
Transition in forestry,
changes in forest ownership
Problems of small owners:
i) have no idea on how to manage forest;
ii) live in the town far away from their holdings;
iii) are already old and become the victims
of dishonest, profit-seeking people who offer them
providing of services or a purchase of their forest
holdings.
The smallest holdings are not usually managed
in proper way because of low skills, knowledge
and sometimes also zero interest of the owners.
Forestry strategy, policy, programmes
Basic principles of current Forest Policy
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completion of restitution process;
improvement of forest ecosystems;
conservation and enhancement of biodiversity;
development of non-timber functions of forests;
better utilization of timber;
promotion of forestry institutions;
pursuit of economic aspects of forestry policy;
utilization of National Forest Program.
National Forest Program
National Forestry Programme as a Professional Response
to the Ideas from Strasbourg, Rio and Helsinki
.... Foresters have to attempt to join all forces in order to
formulate the problem of forestry as a strategic problem
important for the whole society. Foresters have to assume the
vast task of elaborating a concise national forestry
programme as a general project with unified coordination and
aiming at unified, clearly defined financing. This programme
has to be directed at the solution of carefully selected highpriority problems of contemporary forestry as a newly
conceived sector based on the principle of sustainable,
functionally integrated management in all forests irrespective
of proprietorship boundaries.
Sustainable Forest Management in the Czech Republic, Prague 1993
National Forest Program
 The basic principle from which the Czech National
Forest Programme proceeds is the management of
forests in a permanently sustainable manner;
 Increasing the responsibility of forest owners for
their property.
 The NFP is supposed to be an interdepartmental
and inter-sectoral programme
- emphasizing the place of forests in the environment
and landscape creation, non-production functions of
forests, the importance of the forest as a renewable
source of raw material.
Areas where improvements are needed
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restitution and privatization;
fragmentation of forest land;
improvement of forest legislation;
improvement of forest conditions;
education, awareness and public relations;
lack of general public involvement in forestry;
state supervising role during the transition period;
international commitments;
gaps in collaboration.
Future challenges to ensure
sustainable forest management
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National Forest Programme
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Improvement of public awareness on forestry
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More meaningful projection of the importance
of forests into the national economy
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Forestry image improvement, P. R.
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Valuation of non-wood benefits and services
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Support to private forest owners
Implementation of the Resolution H3
of the MCPFE
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Assistance to the Czech Republic in the 90ties
Switzerland, Canada, the Netherlands,
GEF World Bank
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Beginning of the 3rd millennium: Czech Republic
as donor country
Morocco, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Russia
Priority areas:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Ukraine,
Yemen, Serbia and Montenegro, Zambia
Opinion on the future of the
UNECE/FAO ToS on CITs
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Cooperation, particularly partnership is needed
Promotion of forests, fundraising
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ToR
Support of private forestry,
Improvement of forestry and environmental
legislation,
Education on various levels,
Improvement of valuation of non-wood benefits
and services offered by forests,
Participatory approach, better communication
between various stakeholders and institutions.
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Thank you for your attention
Karel Vancura
Forestry Development Department
[email protected]