Before the partial report "Clear rules for active forestry" is submitted to the Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren (KD) on Thursday, the investigator has presented some of his proposals in DN-debatt.
One proposal is to shorten the time between the notification that forest owners must make to the Forestry Agency before the forest is harvested and the start of the harvesting – from the current six weeks to ten days.
The investigator Göran Örlander also proposes that it should not be possible to appeal the notification of harvesting that the Forestry Agency does not act on.
That environmental organizations should not be able to appeal "non-decisions" when the Forestry Agency fails to make a decision due to neglect or lack of resources is unacceptable, says Peter Roberntz, forest expert at the World Wildlife Fund WWF.
This, combined with the shortened time between notification and permitted harvesting, means an increased risk that biologically valuable forests will be harvested, he says.
"A dead hand"
LRF's chairman Palle Borgström, on the other hand, welcomes the proposals.
We think the investigators have the right intentions to simplify, clarify and create more legal certainty for forest owners. It is currently difficult to predict in advance how courts will judge and in the worst case, it puts a dead hand over forest owners, says Borgström.
Landowners are also proposed to receive compensation when it is not possible to use the forest because nature needs to be protected. This should amount to 125 percent of the market value in money.
Already today, forest owners can receive compensation for not harvesting forests with high natural value, but there is a lack of money. This is a signal to the government to strengthen the financing. But if the government does not do so, it will be a blow in the air, says WWF's Peter Roberntz.
Wants to see higher compensation
Palle Borgström at LRF would have liked to see higher compensation.
It's one thing if you sell your property on your own initiative, but here it's so that the state or someone else comes and takes over, and then you should also take into account the development of the value. What seemed like a pretty good compensation with 125 percent of the market value five, ten years ago is, given the development that has taken place, very poor.
The forestry investigation was set up in February and is to be finalized by August 31 next year at the latest.
