The Vysočina Region welcomes Forest Directors-General from the EU

Tisková zpráva Press Release Communiqué de presse

Jihlava, 25 June 2009

The Vysočina Region welcomes Forest Directors-General from the EU

The economic situation in European forest management and wood processing industries as a result of the current economic recession, strategic issues affecting the sector, as well as methods of informing the general public of the importance of sustainable forest management – these are the issues that are under discussion by EU Forest Directors-General who are meeting from 22-25 June in the Vysočina Region.

One of the themes of the Czech Presidency, and of this meeting as well, concerns the establishment of an effective communication strategy for forests and forest management, which is based on the objectives of the EU Forest Action Plan 2007-2011. The Action Plan covers environmental education, the utilisation of the knowledge on how to use timber as a renewable resource and the use of state-of-the-art communication methods to improve exchanges of experience. A workshop on this topic took place between 3-5 June 2009 in Pardubice; and the growing importance of communication for the forest management sector can also be seen in the 10th Conference of European State Forestry Organisations, which was held in the middle of June; it’s main topic was “The Public and the Forest”.

The need to improve public awareness of the advantages of sustainable forest management has also been incorporated into the National Forestry Programme of the Czech Republic for the period until 2013. “Our aim is to enhance public interest in forestry and to improve the relationship between people, forests and forest management, we want to support meaningful management of our natural resources,” said Czech Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Forest Management, Jiří Novák. “Another area for discussion concerns the economic situation of forestry and its related industries. The Presidency is expecting a range of views on the current economic situation from the representatives of state forestry organisations from various Member States, and, in particular, the proposals on how to stabilise the sector,” explained Deputy Minister Novák.

Space will also be devoted to other strategic issues, which may well be discussed in the near future by the working bodies of the Council and the European Commission. One of these issues also involves discussions on the future of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe and the options of further developing and elaborating those undertakings contained in the resolutions already adopted. One of these options concerns its transformation into a legally binding agreement. This discussion topic was included in the programme at the request of the Austria. Germany has proposed that the “forestry chiefs” have the opportunity to deliberate the “Charter for Wood”. The aim of this charter is to underline the importance of using timber as a renewable resource, the importance of its role in the process of sustainable forest management and in mitigating the effects of climate change. The objective is to find a new balance between sustainable management, forest preservation and the forestation of Europe as a whole.

The last topic on the agenda concerns the issue of wood mobilisation. “Sustainable management of forests and the expansion of forest land in Europe will result in the increased availability of wood and wood products,” explains Martin Žižka, Director of the Forest Management Section at the Ministry of Agriculture. “On the other hand, this will expand the possibilities of timber use, for example for energy generation, which means that over the long term, demand for wood is bound to rise. We must therefore discuss measures related to the mobilisation of available sources of timber, while at the same time respecting sustainable production needs and environmental restrictions.“

In the area of forestry, the period of the Czech Presidency has been extraordinarily rich in international events, whether the Eighth Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests or the 19th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry, as well as in additional topics for debate, dominated by the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market. The Vysočina meeting represents an informal conclusion to the Czech Presidency, while at the same time it will afford an opportunity to discuss strategic issues related to the implementation of the EU Forest Action Plan or those arising from the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe.

The Vysočina Region is one of the most heavily forested areas of the Czech Republic (30.1% forestation). It has an extremely varied ownership structure, covering forests owned by the state, municipalities, cooperative establishments and both small and large private owners. The region can be proud of its relatively healthy forests, its rich tradition of forestry and wood processing industries.

A press conference has been planned for 25 June to present the results of the four-day meeting.

Tereza Dvorácková
Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Agriculture