The Forest Inspectorate of Suchedniów Jacek Oleś was dismissed from the position after cutting several hundred trees in the Świętokrzyska Forest. The cuts were carried out in the area covered by the moratorium, i.e. a temporary prohibition of felling. The State Forests explain this with a “misunderstanding” between the foresters and the ministry.
The Regional Directorate of State Forests in Radom dismissed Jacek Olesia from the Forest District Forest District. This is the result of a scandal in the Świętokrzyska Forest, where foresters cut 770 cubic meters of trees. According to activists, some of them were up to 130 years old. The results occurred at the end of last year, but only now the case saw the light of day.
The scandal consists in the fact that the area of over 30 hectares, on which some trees were cut, was covered by the Ministry of the Climate and the Moralium Environment. This means a ban on running a clipping in this area. Despite this, as the studio for all beings explains, the valuable highland blueberries of the Świętokrzyska Forest was devastated.
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– here there was a violation of the law – she assessed in the “Facts” of the TVN of the Minister of the Klimat Paulina Hennig-Kloska.
Forest District: There was a misunderstanding
According to ecologists, it is “one of the last fragments of natural forests in central Poland”. Therefore, in the Forest, right next to the place where the felling took place, the reserve under the name “Bliżyńskie Natural Forests” with an area of about three thousand hectares is to be built soon. It will be one of the largest nature reserves in Poland, covering natural areas often compared to the Białowieża Forest due to, among others, the presence of relict species, characteristic of primary forests.
Reports regarding clipping confirmed the State Forests on their website. On the website of the Suchedniów Forest District, we read that “performed works in the field of forest care in the area of 32.2 ha at the end of 2024 were carried out based on the letter of the Ministry of the Climate and the Environment.” Trees were defended in TVN “Facts” by Edyta Nowicka from the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Radom. – The clipping was agreed with the Ministry of the Climate and the Environment, there was no mistake here. The forest inspectorate would not dare to act without the consent of the ministry – convinced the forester.
Jacek Oleś, a forester of the Suchedniów Forest District, spoke in a similar tone. – The contracts were concluded before the introduction of the moratorium and obliged the forest inspectorate to ensure work for the Forest Services Department – said Oleś.
Ultimately, however, the State Forests admitted that there was a “misunderstanding”. In a statement published on Friday, the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Radom reads that the work was carried out “on the area of climate and environment excluded by the Ministry of the Morality”. “This situation resulted from a misunderstanding regarding the procedure for obtaining unambiguous consent to the performance of works that arose between the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the State Forests,” it was informed.
In exchange for a mistake, the State Forests, in consultation with the ministry, excluded about 450 hectares of the most valuable nature stands from use, increasing the moratorium area. To avoid similar misunderstandings in the future – we read in a statement – a review of procedures and the method of providing information were reviewed.
In total, from the moratorium in the Suchedniów Forest District, the acquisition of wood is suspended in the area of 6,600 hectares. In the whole country, restrictions in forest economy are in total 94,000 hectares (about 1.3 percent of forests) for over a year. The moratorium is in force in those forests that the Ministry of the Climate found the most valuable natural.
The forester lost his position
This, however, does not end there, on Tuesday, the Directorate General of the State Forests announced the dismissal of Jacek Oles, Forest District of Suchedniów, who defended the clipping a few days earlier. It was emphasized that in connection with errors in the flow of information, “which contributed to a misunderstanding regarding the scope and procedure for obtaining permission to carry out work in areas covered by the moratorium”, the person responsible for this was disciplined.
“Errors in managing the most valuable nature stands in Poland are unacceptable and cannot remain without a firm response from DGLP. I expect from foresters more sensitivity to nature protection and social expectations. The current automatism and schematic actions should go down to the past. The surroundings of the forests have changed and some foresters must finally understand this” State Witold Koss.
“The State Forests are determined to reduce errors and be guided by increased sensitivity. We operate according to the principle: zero tolerance to activities violating nature protection and sustainable forest management” – emphasized Directorate General LP.
The farm authorities also informed about the dismissal of the Forest District of Chojnów near Warsaw.
Care or devastation?
From the previously published message it appeared that foresters did not have much to complain about. The Suchedniów Forest District argues that “surfaces covered by these treatments are middle -class pine and fir stands that required care and sanitary procedures to ensure safety and proper health.” It was added that “the work consisted of removing individual trees, including dying trees, threatening the safety of people and property.”
– This is some disinformation and emptyrs. Apart from the very fact that they cut in a moratorium, they cut off firs about 130 years old, or old trees. It's hard for me to believe in a misunderstanding. It seems more likely to me by purposeful, bad interpretation of correspondence between the Ministry of the Environment and the General Directorate of State Forests. Everyone knew about the extension of the moraratorium in this area, it was written in the media – said tvn24.pl Radosław Ślusarczyk from the studio for all beings.
According to the activist, the foresters “confessed to the cutting of biocenotic trees.” – It is these old, prosperous trees that are the most valuable from a natural point of view. This is where the White -Biała woodpecker lives and the rare and threatened beetles of extinction – explained Ślusarczyk.
Greenpeace Polska activists believe that the resignation of Forestry Olesia was “show”, and “State Forests' Forest Forest Business is in full swing, despite the promise of the government of Donald Tusk, embracing 20 percent of the most valuable forests with a prohibition of clippings.”
“This week, the State Forests gave information about revenues and profits for last year. They earned purely PLN 785 million. It's twice as much as they planned!” – we read in a statement sent to us. According to preliminary data provided on Monday by the State Forests, the profit of this institution for 2024 amounted to nearly PLN 785 million in the sale of wood sales of PLN 11.2 billion. In April last year, the farm estimated that the planned profit was to amount to about PLN 400 million.
The government wants foresters to be protected to protect nature
In January, a draft novella on forests and environmental protection was published on the government pages, which assumes that the State Forests will be transferred annually to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, a fee depending on the amount of wood obtained. The money is to be transferred to, for example, support of tasks and goals carried out by national parks or regional environmental protection management.
According to the project, this fee is to be progressive – the more wood obtained, the higher it will be. CEO of LP Witold Koss informed at the end of last year that in 2022 LP obtained over 44 million cubic meters of wood. According to estimates, in 2024 it was to be over 40 million. In turn, the forecast for 2025 spoke about 38 million cubic meters.
The draft amendment provides that the first year in which the fee is to operate is 2025. From payment for 2027, the fee rate is to be valorized by the amount inflation. According to the government's predictions, the State Forests in the coming years will pay around PLN 210-255 million annually, and the annual acquisition of wood by 2033 will remain at the level of 35-40 million cubic meters.
Forests in Poland occupy over 9.2 million ha, of which over 7.3 million ha is managed by the State Forests. LP are the largest organization in the European Union managing forests belonging to the Treasury, manage on a quarter of Poland and employ about 26 thousand. people.
Source of the main photo: Laboratory for all beings