Forestry management in primeval forests – a new idea to combat floods

The largest single initiative in the history of State Forests – this is how Witold Koss, General Director of the State Forests, described the project to establish Forestry Management in Primeval Forests. The relevant ordinance was signed on September 19 and aims to protect the most valuable forest areas, covering a total of 200,000 hectares. The idea is a response to the challenges posed by climate change and its catastrophic effects.

The context of the establishment of primeval forests

The current Forest Act dates back to 1991 and does not take into account the challenges and problems faced by modern forest management. In particular, it lacks references to climate change and related extreme events – droughts, fires, and floods. Meanwhile, during the National Forest Conference held in April, the need to designate areas important to society, considering the opinions of all stakeholders, was highlighted. Earlier, the Ministry of Climate and Environment issued a directive to extend the moratorium on logging forests with social functions located around major Polish cities until the end of September.

As a result, the State Forests gained the necessary time to establish the Forestry Management in Primeval Forests, which aims to protect the country’s most valuable forest ecosystems. During the press conference announcing the new LP ordinance, Director Koss emphasized that the climate catastrophe is a fact that forces active action, referencing the situation following the floods in Lower Silesia.

Where will the forestry management in primeval forests be established?

A forest full of old trees; one where you can safely enter, pick mushrooms and berries, engage in sports, and walk – this is the vision Director Koss paints when talking about the establishment of six Forestry Management in Primeval Forests. They will be located:

• Around Augustów – Augustów Forest;
• Around Tricity – Oliwa Forests;
• In the area of the Supraśl Forestry – Knyszyńska Forest;
• Around Radom – Świętokrzyska Forest;
• In the Bieszczady Mountains – Carpathian Forest;
• Around Wrocław – Oder River Valley Forests;
• In the Gryfino Forestry – Beech Forests.

It is worth noting that these Forestry Management areas are not new creations. In the public consciousness, they have been considered primeval forests for a long time, and their scope coincides with the areas of individual forest districts. They are also the oldest human-planted forests in Poland, with an average tree age of 104 years and some individual trees as old as 300 years.

The significance of the new State Forests initiative

According to Director Koss, the Forestry Management in Primeval Forests will be an intermediate solution between a national park and a nature reserve. They will be managed differently from other forests, and appropriate directions and recommendations will be defined in the currently prepared management plans. Active measures will be taken in the primeval forest areas, serving solely the environment and public safety. In the opinion of the State Forests, this will not negatively impact the economy.

It should be added that the ordinance establishing the Forestry Management in Primeval Forests coincided with the dramatic floods that triggered a wave of criticism towards the foresters in Lower Silesia. LP spokesperson Anna Choszcz-Sendrowska openly addressed these accusations, emphasizing that the flood is not the foresters’ fault. No forest could retain the amount of water that fell last week in Silesia, and the previous drought further hindered water absorption. The State Forests reported that over the past 20 years, the forest area in the Kłodzko Valley increased from 10.1 thousand hectares to 16.5 thousand hectares.

The protection of Poland’s most valuable primeval forests aligns with the policy of strengthening forests’ natural functions, which includes rainwater retention. Unfortunately, in Lower Silesia, the 200-year-old practices of planting spruce monocultures still persist. These forests were initially intended to supply wood to regional industry, but today they are falling victim to droughts and pests. The forest reconstruction process takes time, and the criticized tree felling, aimed at removing dying trees, is part of it.