Ministerial order bans clearcutting in nature reserves and in Natura 2000 sites

At the beginning of August, Gergely Gulyás, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office announced that, in addition to restricting the scope of those still allowed to purchase gas at capped prices, the government had decided to ban the export of firewood and to expand logging. The decree, which partially overrides the Forest and Nature Protection Act, was introduced due to the energy emergency caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Following the government’s above mentioned regulation, a new, additional legislation has now been introduced. According to the ministerial order issued on Tuesday,

“clearcutting is prohibited in state-owned forests which are nature reserves, or Natura 2000 natural forests consisting of primary purpose, indigenous tree species, and forests which are semi-natural or derived forests, as well as target stock under reforestation obligation in forests suitable for reforestation with natural seed stock."

Instead of prohibiting clearcutting in state-owned nature reserves and Natura 2000 areas, the government decree issued in early August made it easier, and allowed it even over a larger area. The decree of early August eased felling in areas under Hungarian and EU protection (such as Natura 2000), so the current amendment seems to be a tightening of the government's stance from a nature conservation standpoint.

István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture commented on Facebook and on the government’s official website by stating that:

• “the rules easing logging are valid until the end of March 2023, and clearcutting indigenous trees in nature reserves remains banned.
• (...) clearcutting indigenous trees in nature reserves or Natura 2000 areas continues to be prohibited.”

This most recent ministerial order also specifies that

• the increased demand for firewood must be met primarily by transitional or cultivated forests of the main acacia species;
• the demand for firewood cannot be met by the implementation of the relevant harvesting plan as set out in the government decree.

After the previous regulation, aiming to provide more firewood for the population was issued, we wrote about forestry and conservation experts being puzzled by it, as well as why the deforestation regulation is unnecessary.