Members of the Civic Coalition entered the headquarters of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Gdańsk on Monday. This is the result of an investigation by tvn24.pl, in which we revealed that the State Forests on a plot worth millions of zlotys in Jurata are preparing for an investment that would mean cutting down the forest. – We want to ask questions. First of all, why did this happen? Were there any pressures? Were there pressures from, for example, Mr. Bartłomiej Obajtek? – said Barbara Nowacka. Before the formal start of the inspection, there was a short exchange of views between the politicians and the spokesperson of the management.
According to the investigation of a tvn24.pl journalist, State Forests on a two-hectare plot worth millions of zlotys on the Hel Peninsula are preparing for an investment that would mean cutting down trees. This concerns plot no. 175 in Jurata.
In his text, journalist Tomasz Słomczyński demonstrated the foresters’ desire to change the function of this area and enable its development for accommodation purposes. The Regional Directorate of the State Forests in Gdańsk – which has authority over the Wejherowo Forest District – is headed by Bartłomiej Obajtek, brother of Daniel Obajtek, the president of Orlen. “In recent years, the media have reported on a number of investments that the brothers have carried out, including in Pomerania,” wrote Słomczyński. This includes guesthouses. In this context, the question arises whether the rulers are aware of what the State Forests are planning on the peninsula.
KO MPs with parliamentary control
After the publication of tvn24.pl, MPs from the Civic Coalition Barbara Nowacka and Agnieszka Pomaska went on Monday with parliamentary control to the headquarters of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Gdańsk.
– We want to ask questions. First of all, why did this happen? Were there any pressures? Was there pressure, for example from Mr. Bartłomiej Obajtek? – Nowacka said at the conference before the inspection.
– But we will also ask what influenced the change in the position of the Wejherowo Forest District regarding the possibility of building plot number 175 in Jurata? What investments are planned by the State Forests on this plot? Which entity will implement them? What is the value of the plot in question? Have the State Forests prepared an environmental assessment in connection with the planned investments in the area of plot 175 in Jurata? And if so, what will be the consequences for the natural environment and local communities? continued the MP.
Agnieszka Pomaska and Barbara NowackaTVN24
Barbara Nowacka continued asking questions. – How many hectares of forests and forest areas are owned by the State Forests in Pomerania and have been cleared for investments from 2021 to 2023? And have the State Forests sold or leased plots belonging to forests in Jastrzębia Góra in the last five years? If so, who and exactly which ones? she added.
The MPs hoped that they would be able to talk to the director of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Gdańsk or his deputies, but none of them was present at the headquarters. So they submitted a letter to the office.
Exchange of views with the spokesperson of the Directorate of State Forests
Even before the parliamentarians entered the building, the spokesman for the management, Jerzy Kreft, came to them and a short exchange of views took place.
– Who cuts down trees and why? I will answer the question of who cuts down the trees. Foresters cut trees. Why? Because the government of Platforma Obywatelska i PSL approved the document that allows for this logging – he said, turning to Pomaska.
She tried to cut into his statement, but to no avail. – I am handing the MP a document that allows for this. Please. And that’s why we cut down these trees, among other things, added Kreft.
Nevertheless, the spokesman later assured that the MPs would receive a response to their letter immediately. However, he did not specify a specific date.
Main photo source: TVN24