The so-called illegal logging retards this practice, which developed after the system change in 1990, and has strengthened in the recent years. Illegal loggers seriously disobey the rules established by the society, destroy our forests neglecting the natural reproduction, and steal wood that is not their property.
According to the estimation of the Department of Forest of the Central Agricultural Office, illegal logging in 2006 was approximately 1000 hectares and 300 000 cubic metres. The value of the wood that was stolen this way was around 3 000 000 000 forints, while the cost of reafforestation was approximately 1 000 000 000 forints. Besides this direct damage indirect damage also occurs (erosion, soil degradation, environmental pollution, biosphere degradation…), the value of which cannot be estimated. And do not forget that only decades later will the plantage be able to function as a forest.
This crime has two main methods in Hungary. On the one hand there is the conventional timber theft, and on the other hand there is the organized illegal logging.
Timber theft — that amounted to the ? of the illegal logging in 2006 — is a kind of “tree harvesting” without the knowledge and acceptance of the owner or the forest manager. Basically two ways of timber theft can be observed: large-scale stealing with venture-like features, and small-scale stealing for one’s own interest.
Timber theft originates in social problems. Once mainly poor, unoccupied people stole wood, but later illegal loggers discovered its opportunity of business. The ordered, commercial-like stealing produces millions of profit that attracts the authors.
The aim of the illegal logging is to elude legal regulations, i.e. to cut the forest before its maturity — neglecting the ecological, professional and nature protecting circumstances — without permission, and to realize extra profit — in comparison with legal tree harvesting.
Illegal logging is usually done on homeless or penniless private person’s land areas on behalf of the “owner”, by the simplest way: clear cutting.
The forest is acquired by the “owners” with regular agreements or — sometimes false — barter agreements, and these agreements are usually countersigned by the same legal circle. Wealthy people stand behind the penniless “owners”, whom can rarely be caught in the act.
In the last year the practice of both the police and the prosecution has changed advantageously, in the point of timber theft and illegal logging. The police’s resources have been extended, because they have the possibility of seizing the tools used by the criminals: not just the tree logger tools (motor saw, axe), but also the transport tools (passenger cars, trucks, carriage). What is more, according to the stand of the Prosecution Service, illegal logging is a mean of nature damaging, so it is a crime, and can be punished with 2-6 years of confinement. Several delinquents are waiting for the sentence of the court in custody.
This is the reason of the significant decreasing of illegal logging in 2007 (although the intensity of timber theft is constant). It is not difficult to predict that the decision of the court, and its deterrent effect will significantly determine the inclination of the potential delinquents for illegal logging.