Threats

In 2012, the Minister of the Environment approved the Forest Management Plans for the three Forest Districts of the Białowieża Forest that met recommendations of the European Commission, given requirements to protect integrity of this Natura 2000 site. The approved management plans limited timber extraction to 48,500 m3 per year, on average, for next 10 years, and ensured the protection of 100-year old stands. This was recognized as a solution which supported local needs for timber while safeguarding the ecological uniqueness of the Forest.



Since the Plans were approved, the Forest Districts have not fully adopted them. Increased timber harvesting, formally justified by the need to curb bark beetle outbreak, greatly exceeds the annual plans and constitutes a serious threat. Environmental NGOs have repeatedly expressed their concerns that one of the Forest Districts has already reached the established 10-year logging limit, and would have to abandon timber harvesting for the next 6 years, while the other two forest districts will enter this phase within the next two years.



This significant increase of the average annual limits of timber harvesting have resulted in an update of the Forest Management Plan 2012-2021 for one out of three Białowieża Forest districts. The update includes significant increase of logging, removal of snags and does not guarantee the protection of forest stands older than 100 years. The Ministry of Environment argues that "active management" by harvesting is needed to protect the forest from spruce bark beetle outbreaks and fire risk. It stands against modern scientific research and recommendations of many major scientific institutions in Poland.