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This article discusses sustainable forest management in Germany, including the different types of ownership and the experience of the German forestry sector. It examines the challenges and successes of managing forests under various ownership models and provides insights into the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable forestry practices.
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“Sustainable forest management under various types of ownership,German experience” • 18 Governing Council Meeting • UNION OF EUROPEAN FORESTERS • 10 October 2014 • Nessebar, Bulgaria Hans Jacobs, BDF
Germany, some facts about ForestryForestry area: 11,1 Mio ha (31 %)Total wood stock: 3,4 Mrd m³ (= 320 m³/ha) Timber growth per year: 120 Mio m³Potential timber production: 80 Mio m³Real timber production : ca. 70 Mio m³Value Cluster Forest and forest prod.: ca. 168 billion € Employee forestry sector: 99.000Employee total cluster: 1,3 Millionen
Forest Ownership in Germany • The forest covered area is very divers, between 10 % and 42 % • Even the percentage of the different ownerships is very divers: • All over Germany: • State-ownered Forests 30 % • Privat owned Forests 44 % • Commune owned Forests 20 % • German Federation owned 6 % Germany is divided in 13 areal states and 3 city states • Every state has its own forestry administration system.
1.State and federal owned forests: Forest management in Germany In former time organisied as a dependent part of the Agriculture Ministery Then in more and more states the responsibility was transferred into the new Enviromental Ministery state forests were mainly managed for public targets Enviroment, Biodiversity Advising of private forestry owners Recreation of people Public Authority in matters of Forest law Producing timber All the state forest organisations were not able to cover their costs.
Since the beginning of this century the state forest administrations were nearly all transformed into private organisations (public institutions) - some of the former targets were reduced (Enviroment, Recreation) or - some were removed to other administrations (advising of private owners, public authority) - In many administrations the number of employees was reduced to nearly 50 % during the last 2 decades. In combination with an increasing timber production and also increasing timber prises the new organisations succeeded to get a positive economic balance. • But in the public perception some of the public targets have been substancially reduced. • The political message was achieved, that an old fashioned administration could be transformed into a modern, economically acting organisation.
But in fact this positive statement is only half the truth!But If you count all the people and tasks, that had been outsourced, the financial result would be nearly the same as before.
2. Private forestry organization 12 % have >1.000 ha;most of them with own forestal employees 2 Mio. private forestry owners 2,5 ha in average per owner 57 % have less than 20 ha. 80 % of the private owned forests area is organized in regional organizations. They were formed for helping the small forest owners to manage their forests.
There are various types of foresters active in these organizations - Ownforestemployee - State forestcompany - Private consultant - agricultural self-administration Private forestry owners and also the private owners organisations are financially supported by the EU/Germany/Federal state for some special investments (new plantation, building of forestry roads, compensive calcification), in average 14 €/ha and year , the organisations get 40 % of their costs
3. Commune forestry organization 2,2 Mio ha arecommuneforestryarea. - in some federal states the state forestry organization has to consult the communes - big forestry communes have their own forestal staff - Otherwise they can participate in the private owners administrations. - -O
Practical experience - The new administration structures are not able to care of the hundred thousants of owners with less than 1 ha ownership and with no chance to see the border to the neighbor - In those bad structured regions there are no solutions for mobilizing timber and fighting the climate change - In the last years forestry is getting more and more profitable - There is an increasing number of forest owners, who don´t want timber to be cut. It needs a lot of human and financial recources to consult them
Since a few years the monopolies and mergers commission is fighting against the forestry organisation. In fact the pricing process sometimes wasn´t correct, especially if people cared about the timber of all the different ownerships But now the commission wants the stately organised forests organsations not to consult the private owners any moore because in their oppinion every case of public consultance gets the collueges some potential information about the timberselling of the single owner. And that information leads to an atvantage on the marked which is not allowed.
