Sustainable Forestry in Lithuania pre- and post- EU membership Imantas LAZDINIS Mykolas Romeris University

SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IS VITAL IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC FUNCTIONS OF FORESTS.

KEY OBJECTIVES OF SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY Protection of natural environment and forest heritage; Improvement of ecological, economic and socially sustainable forest management; Improvement of forest monitoring instruments in accordance with the requirements of existing environmental agreements; Increasing the use of sustainably-produced wood and other forest products.

Transition from Union to Union Lithuania has re-gained independence in 1990; Lithuania has proceeded from the solely state dominated autocratic central planning political system of the Soviet Union ... and … joined in European Union - widely recognised as one of the most mature democracies in the world.

General characteristics of Forest Resources in Lithuania (to 2005. 01 Total area of the Republic - 6530 thousand hectares; National forest cover - 32.0 %; Total forest area - 2091 thousand hectares; Total growing stock volume - 393.2 million m³; Mean volume per ha - 198 m³/ha; Gross annual increment - 12.8 million m³; Annual current increment per ha - 6.4 m³. Source: Lithuanian statistical yearbook of forestry (2005).

Forest ownership and administration in Lithuania ( to 2005.01.01.) -Total area of state forests - 1 041 800 ha (49,8%), 42 state forest enterprises; -Total area of private forests - 684 500 ha (32,7%); 231,9 thousand owners, average private forest holding - 4,6 ha; - Reserved for privatization forests total area 364 900 ha (17,5%). Source: Lithuanian statistical yearbook of forestry (2005)

Ecological importance of forests of Lithuania 603 thousand hectares or nearly 30% of the total forestland area are designated for ecosystem, soil and water protection, recreation, performing of other ecological functions.

Interest of society in forests and forestry have rapidly changed, developing from a limited interest in forest exploitation in the soviet system to an intensive strive for economic gain from forest management into, again, the state of reduced emphasis of wealthier and more urbanised society in exploitation of forest resources.

Socio-economical importance of forests of Lithuania Forestry is important branch of the Lithuanian economy (value added of the Lithuanian forest sector in 2004 – 4,1% (forestry – about 0,6%) of GDP; Forest sector is an important branch in labour market (about 50 thousand employees or about 5% of total employment in the country). Source: Department of Forests of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania

EVOLUTION OF LITHUANIAN FORESTRY ◄(during the period 1990-2005)► ►From THE CENTRALIZATION OF DECISION-MAKING ( in Soviet period ): Lack incentives for economically efficient forest management; - ► to MARKET LIBERALIZATION.

MAIN FACTORS OF CHANGE in state forestry in Lithuania Land restitution; Privatization of activities; Financially self-sustaining SFEs; Demand for knowledge and skills; Increasing scale and nature of problems; Freedom of expression.

Land Restitution As a result of land restitution, large forest areas were transferred from the management of the SFEs to the private ownership.

Privatization of Activities As a result of economic reforms for market liberalisation, several functions of the SFEs were turned over to the private sector. These largely include: logging, reforestation, and, particularly, sawmilling.

Financially Self-Sustaining SFEs Following the principle of liberalization of economy and privatization of state agricultural and industrial activities, SFEs, even though remaining state companies, were turned into self-sustaining entities, operating on the revenue collected from the goods and services provided.

Demand for Knowledge and Skills Privatization in timber processing industry, loss of economic ties with the former Soviet Union and emergence of private timber suppliers have created a free market for timber trade, which demanded from the state forestry employees knowledge and skills in timber trade and marketing.

Increasing Scale and Nature of Problems The emergence of large number of private forest owners, a new player in the forest sector, required from the state forestry employees new skills and capacities to address the problems.

Freedom of Expression The emergence of democratic principles in governance allowed a freedom of expression, which facilitated interest and participation of society in forest management. Communicating with general society and the individual stakeholders required additional skills and capacities from the state forestry.

FOREST POLICY INSTRUMENTS State forestry policy trends are defined by Seimas (Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania) by adopting appropriate laws; Ministry of Environment is responsible for preparation of state forestry strategy and state forestry programs; Priorities of the further development of forest sector are fixed in the Forestry Policy and its Implementation Strategy, approved in2002.

FORESTRY RELATED LEGISLATION Law on Forests of the Republic of Lithuania (2001); Regulations on the Management and Use of Private Forests (2004); Other regulations, rules and orders: - Regulations of Forest Regeneration and Establishment; - Rules of Forest Sanitary Protection; - Rules of the Final Forest Cuttings; - Rules of Forest Improvement Cuttings; - etc.

Law on Forests (1) Creates equal legal preconditions for implementation of sustainable forest management principles in all forests despite of ownership form; Sets main requirements for forest regeneration, forest protection and forest use; Divides forests into four forest groups: * I – strict reserves forests ( forest cuttings are not made), * II – forests of special purpose (IIA- ecosystem protection forests, and IIB – recreational forests; non-clear cutting are allowed), * III – protective forests (clear cuttings up to 5 ha allowed), * IV – economic (commercial) forests (clear cuttings up to 8 ha allowed).

Law on Forests (2) All forests should be managed, harvested and reforested according to the forest management plan; Clear-cut areas have to be reforested within three years after cutting. In case of natural regeneration – within four years. Forest owners cover forest regeneration expenses themselves; Common system of state fire-emergency means is maintained in the forests of all ownership forms.

CONCLUSIONS (1) The transition of Lithuania from union to union over the last 15 years has had important implications to the governance of forest resources. Lithuanian forestry has transcended from hierarchical and extreme state interventionist governance to relatively transparent and accountable governance, that is sensitive to the public needs and interests and sensitive to the demands and supplies in the market.

CONCLUSIONS (2) The consent among the key actors in the forest sector of Lithuania seems to have been reached; on the other hand – “there is nothing constant but change”. Lithuanian forestry is witnessing an evolution and not a revolution; and the evolution takes time.

CONCLUSIONS (3) The state-society relationships have gained a democratic impetus in the pursuit of national interests in governance of forest resources. THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION !!!