It is not widespread knowledge that the forest land area has expanded by 800 000 hectares during this nearly 90 years, and it is still continuously expanding. As a result of the supports that previously were national and later European Union supports, the rate of the expansion is annually 15,000-20,000 hectares. (József Gráf, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development inaugurated the two-millionth hectare of Hungarian forest in Ópusztaszer.)
So the common opinion, according which there is unconsidered deforestation, and depletion of forest land in Hungary, is false. Moreover, rather the contrary is happening.
This increasing does not mean that we allow any losses of the professionalism and sustainability of the forest management in the existing forests. In the Hungarian forests – following the hundred-years traditions – forest management, renewal, and usage of wood: these are only possible with forest management plans, and district forest management plans. These plans contain directives for middle and long term. These directives are in accordance of the expectations of the society, and guarantee the remaining and developing of the existing forest. Forest authority keeps a close watch over the obeying of the forest management plans.
Within the framework of the sustainable forest management, more wood than the nature can reproduce must not be gained from the forests. The annual wood utilization is nearly 7 million cubic metres, while approx. 14 million cubic metres re-grow in the Hungarian forests. This means that the wood stock of our forests is annually growing by several million cubic metres.
What makes this possible? There are certain forest areas, where – due to the natural values, soil and water protection and other targets of protection, and the economical considerations – wood production is limited in its areal extension, realizability in time, and technology. These limitations are worded in statute for the sake of the society, i.e. all of us. So a tree cannot be cut if it hurts the natural or artificial environment.
On more than 6500 hectares management means selective cutting, which is the most natural method, based on natural processes in case of renewal and natural selection of specimen, and this way the given area is continuously forest-covered (involving of additional 8400 hectares of forest in selective cutting has already started).
There is no wood producing on 40 thousand hectares of forest. The force of nature rules here, similarly to virgin forests.
It is also a common opinion that the biodiversity of Hungarian forests is decreasing, its natural protection values are hurt, and the forest management is blamed for this. How successfully can we protect our natural values in the Hungarian forests? Here are some data.
The renewal of the forests (annually on cca. 10,000 hectares) is based in 50% on natural processes and the self-renewal ability of the forest stands, during which the biodiversity of aged stands is preserved, and their genetic features and genetic diversity are also conserved. Two-third of the Hungarian forests are made up by indigenous tree species, despite the large-scale plantations of productive and protective forests on not forest sites.
Among other things this makes the existence of forests possible on the 47% of the protected areas of Hungary, which is the 21% of the total forest land area.
So the professional nature protection found that forest managers and professional foresters are partners, and they strive together to protect the Hungarian forests, which are outstandingly rich in natural values and species comparing to the other industrialized European countries.
Sustainable forest management and its fundamental condition – the professional competence is based on the professional training of foresters, legal regulations that protect the interest of the majority of the society, and the authority that controls the obeying of the mentioned factors.