Polish forests are disappearing before our eyes

https://www.money.pl/gospodarka/polskie-lasy-znikaja-w-oczach-nie-wiadomo-co-dzieje-sie-z-drewnem-a-ceny-szaleja-6766271778044736a.html

Representatives of the timber industry accuse the State Forests of predatory timber management in Poland, and Polish wood is exported on a larger scale than the state organization reports. In their opinion, the policy pursued by the State Forests is driving up wood prices. As a result, there is a shortage of wood, and prices in Poland are currently the highest in Europe. For this reason, construction materials are also becoming more expensive and the prices of firewood are rising. Ecologists and social activists, on the other hand, believe that mass logging has been going on in Poland for many years. In addition, foresters themselves do not know what happens to the cut wood.

The timber industry wants an export ban
The lack of access to information is not the only problem. The timber industry has been warning for several years that it is not possible to buy enough wood from the State Forests.

According to representatives of the sector, this is the result of the policy pursued by the State Forests, which is driving up wood prices. The reasons include new rules for the sale of wood, i.e. reducing the pool for regular recipients to 70 percent of purchase history. This means that only 30 percent. wood goes to auctions, where you can buy without restrictions.

As a result, today we have the highest wood prices in Europe. The price of pine wood at auctions reaches up to PLN 1,000 per cubic meter.

In total, in the last year, wood prices have increased by 200-300 percent in some cases. In addition, it is now starting to be scarce, which makes them even more expensive.

Since last year, OSB boards, among others, have drastically increased in price. Data from the PSB group show that in September 2021 they were almost 125 percent more expensive than a year earlier. The window joinery industry has also felt the increases. In the first quarter of last year, the price of so-called square timber, necessary for the production of windows, was PLN 2.1 thousand per cubic meter, and at the end of the year, prices rose to PLN 4.5 thousand.

Forests cover over a quarter of Poland’s area. Forest complexes play an important role – they protect us, among other things. from the negative effects of climate change, including droughts, floods and heat. Therefore, they should be protected as our common heritage.

In recent years, however, huge amounts of cut trees arranged in piles have become an everyday sight in Polish forests. The scale of felling is also causing increasing controversy. Especially since it concerns both suburban forests and landscape parks or reserves. Trees are also cut down en masse in primeval forests.