“Unfortunately, we are in very turbulent times for the forest sector. Years ago we enjoyed high wood prices, and today the state-owned forestry enterprises are not in good financial condition and the entire sector is extremely sensitive“. This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Ivan Hristanov at the opening of the meeting of the National Forestry Council, which was held today at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
The Minister emphasized that if in previous years the main debate was aimed at limiting wood consumption, today the sector is facing the opposite challenge, namely the need to increase production in order to stabilize the economic situation of the enterprises. “We are clearly at a time when we need to make unpopular but urgent decisions to ensure sustainable management of the sector in both the short and long term“, he pointed out.
Minister Hristanov also emphasized the additional challenges facing the system, including new cases of African swine fever and the need to take measures to limit the wild boar population. He noted that despite the specifics of the caretaker government, institutions must act decisively. “No one will wait for us, neither the problems related to forest protection, nor the need for effective actions in the system“, the minister said. In his words, the active participation of the academic community is also of key importance for the future of the sector. “It is important that the scientific community has a worthy place in the discussions and that their recommendations are heard and implemented in order to manage the sector multifunctionally“, he emphasized.
During the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Nikolay Vassilev presented the Ministry's vision regarding the main priorities for the coming months. Among them are strengthening the fight against corruption, increasing transparency and more active participation of stakeholders in policy formation. He informed that a specialized system for combating corruption is being implemented in the Ministry, the main goal of which is to increase citizens' trust in the administration and increase the number of signals for illegal and unregulated activities. “Signals are the main mechanism for revealing corruption.
I call on all stakeholders not to hesitate to submit information, as each signal will be considered in a timely manner“, Vassilev said. The Deputy Minister also announced that the Ministry is preparing specific measures to increase transparency in the forestry sector by expanding access to information that has been limited so far. It is expected that some of this data will become publicly available next week.
During the meeting, the state of forests and forestry was also discussed, as well as specific short-term measures to stabilize the sector. Data were presented, according to which the total stock of wood in the country reaches 718.4 million cubic meters, which is approximately three times more than in 1960, and the area of forests for the period 1960-2024 has increased from 3.19 million hectares to over 3.93 million hectares. The average age of forests is also increasing – from 37 years in 1960 to about 60 years in 2020.
The phytosanitary condition of the forests was also discussed. Currently, damaged forest areas amount to over 862 thousand decares, which represents about 2.2% of the forested area in the country. It was reported that climate change and drought have a serious impact on the health of forest ecosystems, with an increase in damage from pests and diseases observed in both coniferous and deciduous forests.
Among the topics discussed were the causes of forest fires, and it was emphasized that about 95% of them are due to human activity. In this regard, urgent measures are needed to improve fire prevention, including changes in the regulatory framework, ensuring funding for fire prevention activities, purchasing new equipment and implementing an integrated approach to fire management.
In conclusion, Deputy Minister Vassilev proposed that another meeting of the National Forestry Council be held within the mandate of the caretaker government, probably in mid-May, at which an assessment of the measures taken and the results achieved would be made. “Forests require a long-term vision and consistent actions from us in order to preserve them for future generations“, he emphasized.