Today, on 22 September a press conference was held where the Minister of the Environment Mr Villu Reiljan together with the Forest Department of the Ministry gave an overview of illegal logging in Estonia and elsewhere in Europe. At the same time, the plan to develop methods for analysing illegal logging in Estonia was introduced. According to Minister Villu Reiljan, combating illegal logging is a topical subject in Estonia, in other European countries and elsewhere in the world. “Illegal logging is present in all countries of the European Union, but its volume is generally smaller than 1 per cent of total logging in a country. The main reasons for illegal logging are poverty, persons or companies trying to gain great financial benefit from illegal operations and, inevitably, also the ignorance of forest owners,” the Minister explained. In 2003, 11.5 million cubic metres of timber was felled in Estonia. Out of this, the share of illegal logging was slightly less than 1 per cent or 112 thousand cubic metres. At the same time, non-governmental sources have claimed that illegal logging accounts for 50 per cent of total logging in Estonia. According to Mr Erik Kosenkranius, Deputy Head of the Ministry’s Forest Department, such a big difference in the percentage is caused mainly by confusion in the use of the terms „illegal logging“ and “illegal forest practise”. The unclear definition of these terms is causing problems with further analyses, planning of measures and the reputation of forestry. Illegal logging is logging performed in violation of local legislation. Namely in this way, approximately 1 per cent of the total volume of logging was performed in Estonia last year. Illegal forest practise or the so-called shadow forestry is a wider notion which includes violation of the right of ownership, corruption, violation of transport and trade regulations, tax fraud, illegal logging, etc. “The concept of illegal forest practise can also include the case when one of the employees in a sawmill where timber is processed is drunk. This means that the law has been broken and therefore it can be considered that the timber processed during the shift is illegal,” Mr Kosenkranius explained and continued: “However, it is a fact that the volume of illegal l o g g i n g in Estonia has decreased in recent years and last year, for example, it accounted for 1 per cent of total logging. Nevertheless, it has to be reduced further.” The Ministry of the Environment wishes to combat illegal logging more efficiently. To achieve this, the Ministry has allotted more resources to the increasing of the efficiency of operational supervision, improved the work equipment of the forestry specialists of environmental authorities and supported the counselling of private forest owners as well as the introduction of the practice of neighbourhood surveillance in forestry. In addition to this, a survey of illegal logging has been commissioned from the Faculty of Forestry of the Estonian Agricultural University. The survey will be conducted in cooperation with the Centre of Forest Protection and Silviculture. The aim of the survey is to get a better overview of the extent and nature of illegal logging in Estonian forests. Field work methods prepared for the survey will be introduced to interested parties tomorrow. Further information: Erik Kosenkranius Marku Lamp Monika Kopti |
