Amendment of the Forest Act, which took effect on 1 July, enables forest owners under simplified procedure to register electronic forest notification through a web service. The established possibility addresses particularly a conscious forest owner who has regeneration cutting or thinning in mind.
The electronic forest notification is premised on forest stock data which is revealed in forest register on web environment for electronic forest notification. Then, after 30 days, he has an opportunity to register a forest notification under simplified procedure. "The established digital application reduces duration of proceedings substantially," the Manager of Forest Department of the Ministry of the Environment Riina Martverk commented. Within minutes, after submitting the notification, information will be made available that indicates whether planned regeneration cutting or thinning felling complies with the relevant regulatory requirements or not. In the absence of inconsistencies, the forest notification is registered and forest owner can start with his plans.
The option of submitting forest notification in electronic and paper format to the Environmental Board in case the simplified procedure identified incompatibilities, for example, forest territories with protection limitations, is not dropped.
Public web application of Forest Register (register.metsad.ee) will also be supplemented with thematic content for regeneration cutting which enables interested parties to assess where is regeneration cutting theoretically possible. All managed forests with harvestable trees will be displayed by default with red tone, which does not yet mean that any cuttings are planned or a cutting permission has been issued. Thematic content offers an opportunity to assess location of forest with harvestable trees and the probability of regeneration cutting over the next years. Upon request, a neighbour or otherwise related party can contact the forest owner in order to express his interests in time.
(01.07.2014)