Saving Estonian forests

Apr 14, 2008
In cooperation with BNS

TALLINN- Today the People's Union policy council group challenged the parliament to initiate a debate on the future of Estonia's state forest as a matter of national importance and also began a campaign of collecting signatures to protect state forests.

The head of the parliamentary faction of the opposition party, Karel Ruutli, said "Our view is that the future of state forest as our common property needs a comprehensive discussion and the unity of the whole society taking into consideration the social, economic, regional and cultural aspects," Ruutli said.

For Ruutli, wiping out forest management districts is not the only way to cut costs. "Costs must not be saved at the expense of the people who work in forests, but the number of people working in the head office and the regions should be reduced," he said. "The same conclusion has been reached by recognized forestry specialists who regard both the RMK reform and the amending of the forest law as irresponsible," he added.

The opposition party finds that the planned new forest law endangers the existence of state forest and the forest development plan as a national agreement. The People's Union points out that RMK has started eliminating forest management districts on a large scale. Out of the existing 63 districts only 17 are to be preserved, and out of 550 well-educated forestry specialists only 250 would keep their jobs.

The People's Union went on to state: "Reportedly the plan is to separate the growing, the management and the sale of forest. But this will destroy the continuity of state forest management and eliminate the good master, and may lead to predatory cutting. Fifty viable forest villages across Estonia will be doomed to extinction,".