Czech Republic

Karel Vančura, Kateřina Trejbalova, Forestry Development Dept., Prague

Team of Specialists Meeting

to monitor and develop assistance to countries of Central and Eastern Europe in transition

in the forest and forest products sector

Warsaw, Poland, March 4, 2004

CZECH REPUBLIC

General background information Current status of the forest sector Increasing area of forest land (2 643 058 ha - 34%)

Commercial forests - 76 %

Increasing growing stock volume (641 mil CuM)

Afforestation of agricultural land - 1 000 ha/year

Average rotation period – 115.4 years

Decreasing number of employees in forestry sector - currently 25 700 persons

Forest condition and main problems forest (and biodiversity) losses due to the

industrial pollution (“Black Triangle”); about 60% of forests are damaged on certain level; still too high number of high deer (Cervideae) in forests.

Animals’ browsing and peeling bark significantly affects the structure of species, ages, space and of course also biodiversity within forest stands;

change of forest tree species composition (current ratio of broadleaved /23%/ and coniferous is almost in opposite to the natural one /65%/;

55% of forested area is artificially planted by Norway spruce);

increasing share of broadleaved from 12.9 % in 1950 to 22.3 % in 2000;

new problems following transformation period (mainly high number of new small forest owners).

National Forest Inventory

The total forest area covering the territory of what is now the Czech Republic was for the first time surveyed in 1790 under the Joseph’s cadastre and amounted to 1,974,000 ha (which was 25 % of the total area).

Figures from 1839 reported already 2,267,000 ha. Between 1920 and 1960 the forest area increased by about

10% and it is 2,643,058 ha at the present time (2002) Contemporary National Forest Inventory started in the last

year based on the governmental decision 193/2001 Coll. The Forest Management Institute (FMI), as a government organization established by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic is responsible for performing of this task.

Role of the Forestry Sector

„forest has become the important factor of sociao-economic development of society“

GDP coming from forestry sector is relatively small – about 0.6 to 0.7 %

NFP – cross sectoral matter, but involvement in forestry issues not too high

Organizational changes – diminishing of forestry in the structure of the Ministry of Agriculture

Ownership

%

year

state communal regional

cooperatives private

2000 63.1 13.6 0.9 22.4

2001 61.5 14.6 0.9 23.0

2002 60.7 15.0 1.0 23.3

Changes in Forest Legislation

Forest Act No. 289/1995 Coll.

Game Management Act No. 449/2001 Coll.

Act on marketing of Forest Reproductive MaterialNo. 149/2003 Coll.

Protection of Nature and Landscape Act No. 114/1992 Coll.

New Forest Act ? – discussions should started in 2004

Forest policy developments and related institutional changes

• Conception of the state forestry policy (1994 and 2000);• Forest Act;• National Forestry Programme

Institutional changes:• Forests of the Czech Republic, S. E.• Forestry research

Institutional framework

Ministry of Agriculture - state administration in forestry

Forest Management Institute

Forestry and Game Management Research

Institute

Forests of the Czech Republic, State Enterprise

Ministry of Environment

Forests of the Czech Republic, S. E.

Other organizations involved in forestry:

National Parks,

Protected Landscape Areas Administrations,

Nature and Landscape Protection Agency,

Forestry Faculties of Universities,

Association of Municipal and Private Forest Owners,

Czech Forest Society etc.

Forest policy developments and related institutional changes

• International cooperation

FORAFIN

• Implication of the recent EU development

- not easy situation on the market (drop in

prices),

- new regulations, Forest Focus, NATURA 2000

EU Enlargement General hope (not only in forestry) -

changes in behavior of some institutions?

Not the same starting point:- historically given different level of regulation from the side of state (e. g. due to the nature protection etc.)- how to compensate forest owner struggling on the free market?- should be these conditions balanced somehow in the future?- should Community discussed such matter in spite of the „principle of subsidiarity“ approach?

The main issues of the transition process

Arrangements of Rights in Property and Use

Restitution – Act No. 229/1991 Coll.,

Claims for restitution 355 000 ha,

1 800 cases for decision of law courts,

Forests of church (170 000 ha - 6% of total forest area).

Transition in forestry, changes in forest ownership

central planning market-oriented approach; economic and social spectrum effects of changes; private-sector has 145,000 new forest owners; small owners - 750,000 ha of forests, nearly 90 % have on average less than 2 hectares of forest land;

Transformation process:

restitution of forests to previous owners creation of legal entity Forests of the Czech Republic privatization of former enterprises through joint- stock comp.

Transition in forestry, changes in forest ownership

Problems of small owners:

i) have no idea on how to manage forest;

ii) live in the town far away from their holdings;

iii) are already old and become the victims of dishonest, profit-seeking people who offer them providing of services or a purchase of their forest holdings.

The smallest holdings are not usually managed in proper way because of low skills, knowledge and sometimes also zero interest of the owners.

Forestry strategy, policy, programmes

Basic principles of current Forest Policy

completion of restitution process; improvement of forest ecosystems; conservation and enhancement of biodiversity; development of non-timber functions of forests; better utilization of timber; promotion of forestry institutions; pursuit of economic aspects of forestry policy; utilization of National Forest Program.

National Forest Program

National Forestry Programme as a Professional Response to the Ideas from Strasbourg, Rio and Helsinki.... Foresters have to attempt to join all forces in order to formulate the problem of forestry as a strategic problem important for the whole society. Foresters have to assume the vast task of elaborating a concise national forestry programme as a general project with unified coordination and aiming at unified, clearly defined financing. This programme has to be directed at the solution of carefully selected high-priority problems of contemporary forestry as a newly conceived sector based on the principle of sustainable, functionally integrated management in all forests irrespective of proprietorship boundaries.

Sustainable Forest Management in the Czech Republic, Prague 1993

National Forest Program

The basic principle from which the Czech National Forest Programme proceeds is the management of forests in a permanently sustainable manner; Increasing the responsibility of forest owners for their property. The NFP is supposed to be an interdepartmental and inter-sectoral programme

- emphasizing the place of forests in the environment and landscape creation, non-production functions of forests, the importance of the forest as a renewable source of raw material.

Areas where improvements are needed

restitution and privatization; fragmentation of forest land; improvement of forest legislation; improvement of forest conditions; education, awareness and public relations; lack of general public involvement in forestry; state supervising role during the transition period; international commitments; gaps in collaboration.

Future challenges to ensure

sustainable forest management National Forest Programme

Improvement of public awareness on forestry

More meaningful projection of the importance of forests into the national economy

Forestry image improvement, P. R.

Valuation of non-wood benefits and services

Support to private forest owners

Implementation of the Resolution H3

of the MCPFE Assistance to the Czech Republic in the 90ties

Switzerland, Canada, the Netherlands, GEF World Bank

Beginning of the 3rd millennium: Czech Republic as donor country

Morocco, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Russia

Priority areas: Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Ukraine, Yemen, Serbia and Montenegro, Zambia

Opinion on the future of the

UNECE/FAO ToS on CITs Cooperation, particularly partnership is needed Promotion of forests, fundraising

ToR- Support of private forestry,- Improvement of forestry and environmental

legislation,- Education on various levels,- Improvement of valuation of non-wood benefits

and services offered by forests,- Participatory approach, better communication

between various stakeholders and institutions.

Thank you for your attention

Karel Vancura

Forestry Development Department

vancura@mze.cz