Ministry to propose clearer tree-felling rules in protected areas

The Environment Ministry will propose clearer rules for cutting and removing trees in protected areas, LRT reported, citing ministry adviser Tomas Tukačiauskas. He said the current procedure for forest owners is unclear and open to different interpretations.

“The practice of applying the legal act is not very clear, and that is why the Environment Ministry is planning this amendment,” Tukačiauskas told a meeting of the Seimas Environment Protection Committee this week.

He said the general provisions, particularly those concerning the Western taiga, a natural habitat of European Community importance, should be described more clearly by the end of the year. A draft amendment to the government resolution on habitat and bird protection areas is expected to be submitted to the government in November, with the new procedure expected to take effect next year.

The committee discussed the removal of trees brought down by a powerful storm on August 22 in protected areas.

Tukačiauskas told BNS that the ministry had received more inquiries from forest owners about permission to remove or cut trees after the storm. Trees fell onto roads, nature trails managed by protected areas and recreational facilities.

He stressed that dangerous trees may be removed in protected areas without permission.

“Dangerous trees can be cut down without a permit, including in protected areas. There is no need to ask. If a tree poses a danger, the forest owner cuts it down and removes the danger,” Tukačiauskas said.

However, the removal and use of trees that have fallen deeper in a forest as raw material depends on the regulations governing the specific protected area. In some cases, the trees may be removed and the forest cleared, while in others they must be left for nature.

Tukačiauskas said the rules may differ, for example, when a protection agreement has been signed with a private forest owner and compensation has been calculated and paid or is being paid based on the volume of timber. He added that the management of fallen trees, particularly in Western taiga areas, depends on the specific regulations or the content of the protection agreement.

Antanas Žulys, head of the Šilutė branch of the Lithuanian Forest and Landowners Association, said communication about what owners may and may not do in protected areas was unclear.

He called for protected areas to provide owners with clear information in plain language, saying many owners do not know that protected habitats are located on their land.