Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection

German forestsNature and economic factor

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Contents

German forests – Nature and economic factor 4 OnethirdofGermanycoveredwithforests 4 Forestsarenaturalhabitats 4 Whoownstheforests? 7 Forestrygroupings 8 Rightofaccessforeveryone 9 Forestsarefacingmultiplestressfactors 10

Forestry – Responsibility for many generations 12 Primeprinciple:Sustainability 12 Close-to-natureforestmanagement 13 Silviculturemakesitpossible 14 Promotionofspeciesdiversity 16 Forestsinprotectedareas 17

Forest – based industry in Germany 18

Forest and game 22 Huntingdistrictsystem 22 Wildlifemanagementrequirement 23

Forest policy: Balance between different interests 24 Supportschemesforforestry 25

Forests around the globe: international cooperation is required 27

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German forests – Nature and economic factor

One third of Germany covered with forests

GermanyranksamongthedenselywoodedcountriesinEurope.Around11millionhectarescorrespondingtoonethirdofthenationalterritoryarecoveredwithforests.Inregionalterms,theproportionofwoodlandcovervarieswidely,rangingfrom10%inSchleswig-Holsteintoover40%inRhineland-PalatinateandHesse,themostthicklywoodedLänder(federalstates).

Forestsincreasedbyapprox.1millionhectaresinGermanyoverthepastfourdecades.Thepercentageofover80-yearoldstandsalsorosefromonequartertoonethirdoftheforestarea.ThetimberstocksinGermanyaccountfor320m3perhectare,withtheannualtimberincrementtotal-lingaround100millionm3inaccessibleforestwithoutlog-gingrestrictionsinthemainstandtoday,i.e.around9.5m3/ha.Hence,Germanyoccupiesaleadingplacecom-paredwithotherEuropeancountries.Thisislargelyaresultoftheeffortstorebuildhigh-yieldingandecologicallyvaluableforestsafterthedestructionoflargeforesttractsoverthepastcenturiesand,morerecently,aftertheclear-cuttingsduetobothWorldWars.

Forests are natural habitats

Today‘sdistributionofforests,farmedagriculturalareas,trafficspacesandsettlementareasinGermanyistheresultofhumaninterventionsovermanycenturies.Theremain-ingforestsarenolongerprimevalforests,butproductionforestsshapedbyhumans.Asapotentiallynaturalvegeta-tionform,beechforestcommunitieswouldprevailinGermanforestsandcoveraround74%oftheforestarea.

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Oakforestcommunitiesrepresentthesecondlargestgroupofnaturalforestcommunitiesandwouldaccountfor18%oftheforestarea.

ThehistoricaldevelopmentofforestryexplainswhyGermanforestsaretodaycomposedof60%coniferousforestsandaround40%deciduousforests.Inthepastfewdecades,moreimportancehadbeenattachedtoregenerationwithsite-adaptedtreespecies.Theeffortstoshapethecomposi-tionofforesttreespeciesinamoresemi-naturalwayhavebeencrownedwithsuccess.Approx.73%ofGermanforestsnowadaysconsistofmixedstands.Spruceaccountsforthelargestshareamongthetreespecies(28%),followedbypine(23%),beechtrees(15%)andoaktrees(10%).

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23.3 % Pine

6.0 % Other coniferous trees

9.6 % Oak

14.8 % Beech

15.7 % Other deciduous trees

2.4 % Areas whithout trees

28.2 % Spruce

Diagram 1: Tree species distribution in Germany (Second National ForestInventory 2002)

Thetreespeciesproportionsvaryanddependonthespecificnaturalfeaturesandsiteconditionsaswellasondifferenthistoricdevelopments.Large-scaleforestzonescanbefoundinGermany:pinetreesaboundinthenorthofGermany,deciduoustreesprevailinthelowermountainrangesandcoastalareasandsouthernGermanyisrichinsprucetrees.

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Who owns the forests?

TheFederalRepublicofGermanyisafederalstate.Respon-sibilityfortheforeststhusmainlylieswiththeLänder.WhiletheFederalGovernmentmerelysetstheforestpolicyframework,theLänderareresponsiblefortheformulationandimplementationofconcreteforestpolicytargets.

Privatepersons,corporateentities(notablymunicipalities)andthestate,i.e.mainlytheLänder,ownwoodlands.Privateforestundertakingsownanaverageforestareasizeof5hec-taresthatisfrequentlyspreadoverseveralsmallerareas.

44.0 % Private forests

20.0 % Communal and other forests

3.0 % Forests of the escrow company

30.0 % State forests (Länder)

3.0 % State forests (Federal Government)

Diagramm 2: Types of ownerships (Second National Forest Inventory 2002)

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Thecommunalandothercorporatebodyforestsareclearlylarger.Theundertakingswithlessthan20hectaresforestsrepresent57%oftheprivatelyownedforestarea.Thelargestundertakingsintermsofwoodlandcoverareownedbythestate.Astateforestundertakingmanagesbe-tween8,000and15,000hectaresandmostlyalsoperformsstewardshiptasksforprivateandmunicipalforests.TheFederalGovernmentcurrentlyownsaround410,000hec-tares.Thesearepredominantlyforestsintendedformilitarypurposes.

Forestry groupings

ManyforestownersinGermanyonlyownsmallandfrag-mentedforeststhatarehardtomanage.Asself-helporgani-sations,forestrygroupingsaredesignedtoimprovethe

Table 1: Share of forests in the Länder (Second National Forest Inventory 2002)

Proportion of woodland areas in the Länder (in %)

Baden-Württemberg 38

Bavaria 36

Brandenburg and Berlin 35

Hesse 42

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 23

Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Bremen 24

North Rhine-Westphalia 26

Rhineland-Palatinate 42

Saarland 38

Saxony 28

Saxony-Anhalt 24

Schleswig-Holstein 10

Thuringia 32

Germany as a whole 31

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economicsituationoftheseundertakings.Theforestopera-tionscanbeconductedasajointservice.Thisencompasses,interalia,theharvestingofwoodandotherforestproducts,theplantingandtendingofforestcrops,silviculturaltreat-mentoperationsaswellastheconstructionandmainte-nanceofforestroads.Inaddition,forestproductscanbejointlymarketedormachinespurchasedforjointuse.Suchtypesofcooperationhavealreadyexistedsincethemid-19thcentury.In1969,thegroupingswereplacedonauniformlegalbasis.InGermany,therearecurrentlyaround4,300forestrygroupingswithmorethan400,000memberswhotogetherown3.8millionhectaresofforests.Thiscorre-spondstomorethanonethirdofGermany’sforestarea.

Right of access for everyone

InGermany,anybodycanenterforestsforrecreationalpurposesatanytimeandanywhere.Itisarighttowhichciti-zensareentitled,butalsocommitsthemtoactresponsiblytowardstheforestowner,natureandotherpeoplewhotakearestinforests.Forestandnatureconservationlegislationcontainsrestrictionsandrequirementsforforestvisitors,e.g.banonaccesstocertainareas,banonsmokingandopenfireandstrayingfromroads,keepingdogsonaleadandtheprotectionoftrees,timberandforestryorhuntingfacilities.

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Forests are facing multiple stress factors

Forestsareparticularlyexposedtoabioticandbiotichaz-ards.Abiotichazardsincludegale-forcewinds,fire,snow,iceandfrost.InGermany,stormsareofprimeimportance.Theycanfrequentlywreakcatastrophicdamage.Asthetablebelowindicates,heavystormshaveaccumulateddur-ingthelastdecades,challengingforestryaswellastimbermarkets.Onlypreventivesilviculturaloperationscanhelpagainstwindthrowordamagefromstorm.Thisincludesasite-adaptedchoiceoftreespecies,asuitablestandstructureaswellasstableforestedges.

Year Volume (mio. m3)

1967 13

1972 17

1975 2

1984 9

1990 75

1993 2

1999 35

2007 37

2008 5

2010 up to 6

Table 2: Forest storm damage in Germany

WhileforestfiresoccurfrequentlyinGermany,theyonlyrarelydevelopintoextensiveblazes.Themaincauseisarsonandhumannegligence.Particularlyatriskarethepine-richstandsinthenorthernandeasternLänder.Forestfiresdonotplayamajorrolenationwide.

Damagecausedbyinsectsranksfirstamongthebiotichazards.Purestandsofspruceorpinecoveringlargeareas

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areparticularlysusceptibletodamagebyinsects.Naturaloakforests,too,cansustainseriousdamageduetoinsects.

Theso-callednewtypesofforestdamagehavebeenobservedsincethemid-70s.Airpollutioncausestransformationsintreecanopiesandnotablyalsodamagetoforestsoils.Thesubstanceinputsinforeststandsclearlyexceedtheinputsinopengroundandmostlysurpassthecriticallevelsfornitro-genandacidinputs.AlargepartofforestsoilsinGermanyshows,interalia,markedacidificationandbasedeficiency.

Table 3: New types of forest damage in Germany (National Forest Inventory)

New types of forest damage in Germany

All tree species (%)

Year Defoliation class 0

Defoliation class 1

Defoliation classes 2 – 4

(without damage)

(warning stage)

(visible damage)

1996 39 39 22

1997 37 41 22

1998 38 41 21

1999 37 41 22

2000 35 42 23

2001 36 42 22

2002 35 44 21

2003 31 46 23

2004 28 41 31

2005 29 42 29

2006 32 40 28

2007 30 45 25

2008 31 43 26

2009 36 37 27

2010 38 39 23

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Forestry – Responsibility for many generations

WhileGermanyisgenerallyacountrypoorinrawmaterials,itdisposesofthelargesttotalgrowingstockoftimberinEuropeatca.3.4billionm3whichisstillincreasing.

Inviewoftheshortsupplyoffossilresourcesfromcrisis-riddenregionsoftheworld,forestutilisationinGermanymakesanimportantcontributiontosecuringthefutureofthecountry.TimberisalsoavaluabledomesticsourceofenergythatisenjoyinganunexpectedrevivalinthefaceoftheincreaseinenergypricesandincreasingdemandforCO2-neutralrawmaterials.

Inaddition,forestsrenderservicesofgeneralinterestbyperformingprotectiveandrecreationalfunctions.TheyplayakeyroleinadenselypopulatedindustrialisedcountrylikeGermanywith230inhabitants/km2.

Prime principle: Sustainability

Largeproductionperiods,extensivemanagementoverlargeareas,thedependenceonnaturalsiteconditionssuchassoilandclimateaswelltheinterferenceofnaturalphenomena,e.g.storms,snowbreakageandice-break,arefeatureswhichessentiallydistinguishforestryfromotherlinesofproduction.However,theparamountfeatureistheprincipleofsustainabilitythathadalreadybeenintroducedmanycenturiesago,i.e.tosecurethediverseservicesrenderedbyforestsforthebenefitofthecurrentandfuturegenerationsonapermanentbasisandinthebestpossibleway.

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Close-to-nature forest management

Close-to-natureforestmanagementusesnaturalprocessestodevelopbothecologicallyandeconomicallyvaluableforests.ForestmanagementinGermanyvirtuallydispenseswithpesticidesandfertilizers.Accordingtostudies,thereareonlyminordifferencesregardingspeciesdiversitybetweenecologicallycompatiblemixedforestmanagementandunmanagednaturalforests.

Biggergameanimals(roedeer,reddeer,fallowdeerandwildboar)stillhavesecurehabitatsinspiteofGermanybe-ingdenselypopulated.Inaddition,forestecosystemsofferlifeopportunitiesforalargenumberofotheranimalspe-cies,notablyalsorarebirdspecies,bats,amphibiansandreptiles.Manyinsectspeciesandsoilorganismsencounterlivingconditionstherethathavebecomerareoutsideofforestsduetointensivehumanexploitation.Moreover,forestsprovidealargenumberofendangeredplantspecieswithabasisfortheirexistence.Thisholdstrueespeciallyforthosespeciesthatrequiremorenutrient-deficientsitesthathavenotbeenimpairedbymineralfertilisation.

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Silviculture makes it possible

ThetaskofGermansilvicultureconsistsinshapingforestsinsuchawaythattimberisbeingefficientlyproduced,thatthebiologicalproductivebaseofforestsisbeingmaintainedandimprovedandthattheservicesrenderedbyforestsremainusablebyhumansinasustainablemanner.Themul-titudeofobjectivesofsilviculturalmanagement–depend-ingontherespectivesite–hasresultedinamultitudeofsilviculturaloperations,thatisindifferentiatedtreatmentandregenerationmethods.

Thefollowingprinciplesaregenerallypursuedtoday:ó conservingandestablishingstructurallydiverseand

close-to-naturemixedforests,ó plantingofsite-adaptedandstabletreespeciesand

provenances,ó utilisationofnaturalregenerationwheresoiland

previousstandallowit,ó largelydispensingwithclear-cuttings,ó multi-storiedforeststructure,ifpossible,tomake

maximumuseofsoilandairspace,ó adaptingtheintensityofsilviculturaltreatmentto

individualstands,ó stand-conservingwoodharvesting,ó maintainingsoilfertilityandincreasingit,ifpossible,ó usingforeigntreespeciesonlyafterhavingexaminedthe

beneficialeffectoftheiruseinecologicalandeconomicterms.

Theaimistoimplementclose-to-natureforestmanagementthroughoutGermany.ThisobjectivehasinGermanyalreadygeneratedanincreasingproportionofstructurallydiversemixedstands,longregenerationperiodsandnaturalrejuve-nationmethods.Forestmanagementlargelydispenseswithclear-cuttings.

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HighforestmanagementisthepredominantsilviculturalsysteminGermany.Thestandsareeithernaturallyorartifi-ciallyregeneratedattheendofalongproductionperiod(80to300yearsdependingonthetreespecies).Plenterforests(variable/multi-agedforests)constituteatypeofforestthatisclosetonature.Here,treesofdifferentageclassesstandsidebyside.Regenerationtakesplacehereonacontinuousbasis,moreorless.Selectivecuttinguseorgroup-selectioncuttingarecarriedoutinplenterforests.Naturalregenerationcandeveloporalreadyexistingregen-erationcanbeusedinthespacesopenedupbycutting.The“plenteridea”withforestmanagementbyindividualtrees(single-stemworking)andmulti-storiedforeststructurehashadastimulatingeffectonmanyothersilviculturalmethodsovermanydecades.

Coppiceforestsandcoppice-with-standardsforestsareraretoday,buttheyareinterestinginhistoricalaswellasineco-logicalterms.Theyare,interalia,basedonaregenerationofstandsatintervalsofafewdecadesbymeansofcoppiceshootsandrootsuckers.Asfarastheappearanceofstandsisconcerned,thesecoppicestandsandcoppice-with-stand-ardsstandsclearlydifferfromhighforests.ThistypeofmanagementwaswidespreadintheMiddleAgesinpartic-ularandservedtocovertherequirementsoftanningwoodandfuelwood.

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Promotion of species diversity

Theincidenceofrarefloraandfaunaisalsofosteredbytargetedmeasuresoromissionssuchasó theestablishment,tendingandconservationofclose-

to-natureforestedges,ó leavingdeadwoodinforests,ó theconservationandupkeepofspecialbiotopesin

forests,e.g.wetlands,heathlandandxericgrassland,ó theprotectionofcertainspeciessuchasredants,bats,

birdsororchids,ó thetargetedconservation,stewardshiporrepeated

plantingofrarertreespeciessuchasforestfruitingtrees,commonyeworchequertreesalswellasthrough

ó themaintenanceofhistoricaltypesofforestusesuchascoppiceforestsandcoppice-with-standardsforests.

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Forests in protected areas

TheprotectionofforestsalsoplaysakeyroleinadenselypopulatedcountrylikeGermany.Thefirstnatureconserva-tionareainGermanyhadalreadybeenestablishedin1836.Inthesubsequentdecades,adiversifiedprotectedareasys-temevolvedinGermanyandproveditsworth.AccordingtotheMCPFE1AssessmentGuidelinesforprotectedandprotec-tiveforestandotherwoodedlandinEurope,thedifferentprotectedareascanbedividedintothreebroadcategories:óAccordingtoNFI2around0.9%ofGermany’sforestareas

havebeenplacedunderabsoluteprotectionwherenoharvestingorotherinterventionsareconducted.Follow-ingtheNationalBiodiversityStrategy,thispercentageisplannedtoincreaseupto5%withintheyearstocome.

óOnapprox.25%ofGermany’sforestarea,biodiversityfunctionstakeprecedenceoverforestryoperations.Silvi-culturalactivitiesinprotectedareasofthiscategoryaretargetedatapositiveimpactontheprotectionobjectives.InsomeLänder,thepercentageoftheseprotectedareasrangesbetween30and40%oftherespectivetotalforestarea.Amongthis,17%oftheforestareaarecoveredbytheEUprotectedareanetwork“Natura2000”(EU’sbirdsdi-rectiveandhabitatdirective).

ó57%offorestsinGermanyhavebeendesignatedaspro-tectedareas,wherepriorityisgiventotherecreationalfunctionofforestsaswellastotheoverallproductiveandfunctionalcapacitiesofthenaturalenvironment.

Ithastobenotedatthispointthatarealoverlapswiththeabovedescribedprotectioncategoryoccurbutcannotbeavoidednorestimated.Inaddition,manyforestareasinGer-manyalsoexercisefunctionsprotectedbylaw,e.g.aswaterprotectionanderosioncontrolareas.

1) MCPFE: Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe2) NFI: Second National Forest Inventory 2002

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Forest-based industry in Germany

Accordingtocurrentsurveys,theforest-andtimberindustry,

includingprocessingandpaperaswellasprintingandpublishing,

comprisenearly1.3millionjobswithanannualturnoverofabout

170billion€.Theturnoveroftheforestindustryamountsto5billion

Euro.Thus,theforest-basedsectordoesnotlagfarbehindother

majoreconomicsectorsinGermanyintermsofturnoverandjobs

(thesteelsectorattained26billionEuroandtheminingsector

14billionEuro).Thesocio-economicimportanceofforestryandthe

wood-basedindustryinGermanyhassofarbeenseriouslyunder-

ratedbybusinessandscientificcommunitiesandbypolicy-makers.

Enterprises, workers and turnover in the German timber– and paper industry1)

Economic sector Enterprises Workers Turnover in billion EURO

2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009

Total timber- and paper industry

63,184 60,147 640,745 589,429 109.9 94.2

Roundwood processing

2,094 2,515 41,346 39,306 10.5 9.2

Secondary wood processing (exclud-ing furniture manu-facturing and timber related building crafts)

10,881 9,422 103,580 91,775 11.7 10.2

Furniture industry and manufactor-ing craft (including materials other than wood)

10,398 8,127 170,006 136,038 27.8 18.0

Timber-related building crafts

28,479 28,789 116,790 122,026 5.7 6.3

Timber wholesale trade

11,063 11,063 167,426 161,286 37.7 36.6

Paper industry 269 331 41,597 38,998 16.5 13.9

Table 4: Structure of timber and paper sector in Germany (without related sectors such as printing or publishing)

1) Data were, in part, newly calculated since 2004. No comparability with previous results. Source: Federal Statistical Office/BMELV (532)

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Forest-basedindustriesplayamajorrolenotablyforthere-gionaleconomicandruralemploymentstructuresbecauseitismainlycomposedofsmall-andmedium-sizedenter-prisesandmostlylocatedinruralareas.Somesupplierswithlargemarketsharesprevailmerelyinafewcapital-intensivesectorssuchasthepanel-orpaperindustry.

Germanyranksamongthekey“woodcountries”,notonlyinEuropebutonaglobalscale.Thisholdstrueforproductionaswellasforforeigntradeinwoodandwood-basedprod-ucts.TheEUMemberStatesarethekeytradingpartners.Inspiteofanincompleteexhaustionoftheannualtimberincrementandthankstoanintensiverecycling,Germanyisinapositiontocovertherequirementsofwoodandproductsmainlyfromitsownresources.SulphatewoodpulpasoneoftheproductswhichGermanylacksmostmustmainlybeprocuredontheglobalmarket.

Asteadyprocessofconcentrationhasbeenunderwayinthetimber-andpapersectorsincetheearly1990sthathasinvolvedincreasesincapacityasoneresultofglobalisation.Duringthelastyearsfuelwoodhasgainedimportancebecauseofincreasingenergypricesandpromotionofrenewables.

Therearenospecificstateaidsforthetimber-andpaperindustry.However,measuresthataregenerallytargetedatpromotingthestructuresandtechnologicalprogressalsobenefitthesesectors(e.g.policiestopromotesustainablebuildingsandenergysavingrefurbishment).

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In2009,theentirewoodconsumptionamountedtoapprox.94millionm3(sumofroundwood,semi-finishedandfin-ishedproductsinroundwoodequivalent).Thiscorrespondstoaper-capitaconsumptionofaround1.15m3ofroundwoodequivalent.Hence,Germanyoccupiesamiddlepositionbyinternationalranking.Givena71%wastepaperutilizationrate,Germanyholdsatoppositiongaugedbyinternationalranking.

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Total wood balance in Germany 20091)

Millions of m3 (converted into roundwood equivalents)

Forest resources Wood disposition

Fellings (calendar year) 48.1 Increase in stock disposal 0.0

Waste paper from domestic production 44.7 Exports 119.9

Recovered wood 10.0 Computed consumption 94.4

Imports 106.2

Reduction of stocks 5.4

Total resources 214.3 Total disposition 214.3

Table 5: Total wood balance in Germany 2009

1) preliminary result

In2009,theforestundertakingsfelledandsoldabout48millionm3ofroundwood.Thesawmillingindustryab-sorbedoverhalfofthisvolume.Itisbyfarthemostimpor-tantpartneroftheforestsectorbecauseitresortstohigher-valueroundwood,inaddition.

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Forest and game

InGermany,thehuntingrightisapropertyrightthatistiedtoland.Itiseitherexercisedbythelandholdersthemselvesorleasedout.Over80%ofthehuntingareaisprivatelyowned.Thehuntingrightdoesnotonlyincludetheper-missiontohuntcertaingamespecies,butalsocommitsthehuntertoengageinwildlifemanagement.ThetwosupportpillarsofGermanhuntingaretheso-calledhuntingdistrictsystemandthewildlifemanagementdutyimposedonhunters.

Hunting district system

Thehuntingdistrictsystemestablishesthelocalcompe-tenceandpersonalresponsibilityofholdersofhuntingrightsfortheirdistricts.Thehuntingdistrictsystemallowsyear-roundnationwidemonitoringbywell-trainedhunters.Theyprovideinformationonthepopulationstatusofwildgame,forinstance.Systematicmonitoringofforestdistrictsalsooffersabasicforresearch.

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Wildlife management requirement

HuntersarecalledupontopreservethehabitatsofgameinourhighlyindustrialisedanddenselypopulatedcountryofGermany.Wildlifemanagementmeansonlytoremoveasmuchgameasthepopulationdevelopmentallows,tomain-tainthebasiclivingconditionsofgameaswellastoavoidhazards(e.g.diseasesandaccidentscausedbygame).Wild-lifemanagementmustbecarriedoutinsuchawayastopreventadverseeffectsonfarming,forestryandfisheries,notablythroughdamagecausedbygame.Wildlifepreser-vationisembeddedintheprotectionofbiotopesandspe-cies.Measuresconductedbyownersofforestdistrictstoimprovehabitatsdonotonlyservethehuntablegame,butalsobenefitalargenumberofnon-huntableanimalssubjecttoyear-roundprotection.

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Forest policy: Balance between different interests

Duetotheireconomicbenefits,theirservicesfortheenvi-ronmentandforpublicrecreationintheopencountryside,forestsareofcrucialimportanceforthenationaleconomy,natureandsocietyinGermany.

Itisthereforeakeyaimofforestpolicytopreserveforestswithregardtotheirsizeandservices,toincreasethewood-lands,ifrequired,andtoensuretheirsoundandsustainablemanagement.

Thelegislatormentionedthisobjectiveintheintroductiontothe1975FederalForestActandcombineditwithtwofurthertargetsofforestpolicy:thesupportofforestryandstrikingabalancebetweentheinterestsofgeneralpublicandtheinterestsofforestowners.TheFederalForestActconstitutesaframeworklawenactedbytheFederalGovern-mentfortheGermanforestsector.ItisfilledoutbyLänderactswhichtakethetypicalregionalforestandforestowner-shippatternsintoaccount.Theabove-mentionedaimscanonlybeachievedbyclosecooperationbetweentheFederalGovernmentandtheLänder.

Germanywillneedproductiveforestryandwood-basedindustriesinthefutureandtomaintainthediverseforestfunctionsinthelongrun.Onlytheprofitablesaleofforestproductsallowsforestundertakingstoconserveforestsandmanagethemsustainably.

Withtheincreasingeconomicalandecologicalrequire-mentsGermanyisnowdevelopinga“ForestStrategy2020”,basedonthe“GermanSustainabilityStrategy”.Thistakesearlierrecommendations(2000,2004,NationalForestProgramme)aboutsustainableforestmanagement,bio-diversity,economicimportance,etc.intoaccount.

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Support schemes for forestry

Forestryreceivespublicfundingduetoitsdiversefunctions.Supportisprimarilyaimedatcreatingtheframeworkcondi-tionsthatallowenterprisestopreserveforestsandmanagethemsustainably.Assistanceisgiventonon-governmentalforestownerstoovercomestructuraldrawbacks,interalia,e.g.smallandfrequentlyfragmentedforestareas,sothattheycanoperatetheirforestestatesmoresuccessfullyinthelongrun.TheFederalForestActprovidesforforestrysupportviaeconomic,transportation,agricultural,socialandfiscalpolicies.

ThesupportschemesforforestryundertheFederalGovern-ment/LänderJointTaskfortheImprovementofAgriculturalStructuresandCoastalProtectionconstitutethecoreofsupportforforestry.TheFederalGovernmentcontributes60%ofthefundingandtheLänder40%.TheEU,too,canprovidefundingforforestryoperationsviathe“EuropeanAgriculturalFundforRuralDevelopment”.

Suchoperationsinclude,forexample:ó initialafforestationó measurestofosterclose-to-natureforestmanagementó forestrygroupingsó forestinfrastructure.

Supportisrelatedtoindividualmeasures.Everyyearpublicfundingamountsabout100Mio.€forprivateandcommu-nalforests.Instatisticalterms,14€/haofforestsarespentonsupportperannum.

TheForestStrategy2020aimsforanewbalanceoftherequirementsandthepotentialofforests.Theframeworkforthisnewapproachshallenableforestundertakingsandforestindustrytoachievethebalanceindependently.

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Fiscal aidsFiscalmeasures,too,directlybenefitforestenterprises,forexample,rulesallowingtaxreliefforforestenterprisesintheeventofdamageeventsduetoforcemajeure.Theflat-ratecalculationoftheturnovertaxalsoeasestheburdenonforestenterprisesbecausetheaccountingeffortwiththetaxofficeremainslimited.

Aid in the event of natural disastersIflargetimberquantitiessuddenlyariseintheeventoflarge-scaledisasterscausedbystorms,insectinfestation,immissionsorcomparablecausesofdamageandifsupra-regionalmarketdisturbancescanbeexpected,theFeder-alMinisterofFood,AgricultureandConsumerProtectioncanorderatemporaryfellingrestriction.Thisrestrictionisdesignedtostabilisetherawwoodmarket.Inaddition,taxreliefscanbegrantedtocopewiththeconsequentialdamage.

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Forests around the globe: inter- national cooperation is required

Approx.13millionhectaresofforestarecurrentlydestroyedperyear,especiallyinthetropics.Thisresultsinanirretriev-ablelossofakeynaturalheritageanddestroysanimportantnaturalresourcewhilstjeopardisingtheclimateandnaturalbalanceoftheearth.Butalsooutsideofthetropicsthecon-ditionofotherlargewoodlandsisdeterioratingduetoun-sustainableorillegalexploitationorenvironmentaldegra-dationandotherfactors.

Germany’sobjectiveinthefieldofinternationalforestpolicyisthatthemultiplecontributionsofforeststothealleviationofpoverty,tofoodsecurityandrurallivelihoodsaswellastoenvironmentalconservation,climateprotec-tionandagreeneconomyneedtobemorewidelyacknowl-edgedatalllevels.Andtheyshouldbesafeguardedandfos-teredthroughasustainableforestmanagementwhichtakesalltheexistingandpotentialproductsandservicesprovidedbyforestsintoaccount.Tothisend,aneffectivecoordinationofthediverseinternationaleffortstocontroldeforestationandforestdegradationandtopromotesustainableforestmanagementisrequiredtoenhancetheirimpact.

Inglobalterms,Germanyisoneofthelargestdonorsofdevelopmentcooperationprojectsforforestry.Germanyisactivelyinvolvedinrelevantactivitiesofvariousprogram-mesandagreementsoftheUnitedNationssuchastheFrameworkConventiononClimateChange,theConventiononBiologicalDiversity,theInternationalTropicalTimberAgreementortheUnitedNationsForumonForests.Mostrecently,inthecontextoftheongoingclimatenegotiations(Copenhagen2009,Cancun2010),GermanyisputtingemphasisonsupportingmultilateralinitiativesforReduc-ingEmissionsfromDeforestationandDegradation(REDD)

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supportingvoluntarymeasuresinpilotcountries.Apartfrommeasuresabroad,Germanyisalsoactivelysupport-ingactivitiesandlegislationoftheEuropeanUnionagainsttradewithandconsumptionoftimberfromillegalsources.Anationalprocurementpolicythatpromotestimberfromsustainablymanagedforestsandaninitiativetodevelopafingerprintingmethodologyfortimbertoidentifytimberspeciesandoriginsatcustomsareamongthenationalsupportmeasures.

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Contact

Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV)

Directorate-GeneralforBio-BasedEconomy,SustainableAgricultureandForestryBerlinOffice11055BerlinGermany

Division534EuropeanandInternationalForestPolicyP.O.Box14027053107BonnGermany

Publisher:

BundesministeriumfürErnährung,LandwirtschaftundVerbraucherschutz(BMELV)(FederalMinistryofFood,AgricultureandConsumerProtection)–PublicRelationsDivision–

11055BerlinGermany

Text

BMELV,DivisionEuropeanandInternationalForestPolicy

Design

design.idee,büro_für_gestaltung,Erfurt

Printed by

BMELV

As of

March2011

Photos

BMELVDr.J.M.SchröderHolzabsatzfonds(TimberSalesPromotionFund)ThorstenWiehleSteiger,Trinkwasserwalde.V.ManfredDanegger/OkapiaStefanMeyers/FotoserviceBayerischeForstverwaltung(StMELF)

Further information available at:

www.bmelv.de