Regierungspräsidium Kassel Tasks and Responsibilities of the Provincial Forest Administration Rolf Schulzke Province of Northern Hesse Forestry and Hunting Division Sustainable Forest Management in Hesse

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Contents Sustainable Forest Management -Expectations -Organisational set-up -Instruments  Legal Regulations  Extension Services and Support  Certification -Conclusions

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Expectations towards Forest Management : From the SocietyFrom the Forest Owner  Maintain and improve all functions of the forests, which include economic, protective and social functions  Guarantee the role of forestry as essential factor for the development of the rural area and home of biodiversity  Behave flexible with respect to public demands  Creation of working conditions that enable profitable use of the forest resources  Reliable extension service and research facilities  Long term perspectives  Long term sustainable provision of timber and other forest products  Clear and unequivocal legal regulations safeguarding open competition

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Forest reforms in Germany During the last decade in Germany all State Forest Administrations went through procedure of reform and almost all came to the conclusion to choose a system, which separates authoritative and operational unit. State Enterprise Hessen-Forst:  was formed in 2001, derived from the tradition-rich state forest administration, in order to fulfil the requirements for better customer orientation and financial results;  is owned by the State of Hesse, FRG;  is the operational wing of the Hessian Forest Administration.

Regierungspräsidium Kassel State Forest Enterprise H ESSEN -F ORST Counties (21) and Lord Mayors (7) 3 Provinces Forestry Division (Provincial Forest Authority) Hessian Ministry for the Environment, Energy, Agriculture and Consumer Protection SFE Commission Offices Forest Inventory and Planning, Data Managemen t (FENA) HESSEN- FORST Techniques (HFT) 41 Forest Management Units Tree Seed Center Nursery Center for Training and Capacity Building Wildlife Parks, Forest Museum, Arboretum Info-Centers National Park (NPA) Nordwest- German Forest Research Institute (NW - FVA) (joint Institute for the States of Hesse, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt) Board of Directors Personnel, Organization, IT, Legal Affairs Finances and Budgeting Silviculture, Inventory, Production, Marketing Corporate and Private Forests, Consulting, C o n t r o l l i n g I n t e r n al R e v i s i o n Director General 2. Organization of the forest authorities

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Province Administration I: Department of Social Affairs II: Department of Traffic, Public Planning, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection III:Department of Environment Protection and Occupational Health and Safety Department of Traffic, Public Planning, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection 8 Divisions Public Planning TrafficAdministr ative Offences (traffic) Consum er Protec- tion Agricultur e Forestry and Hunting (1MSc Forestry 8 BSc Forestry) Nature Conser- vation Protected Areas

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Hesse Total Area 21,114 km 2 Population / km 2 : 288 Land Use Pattern : Agriculture 46.4% Forestry 42.1% Settlements etc. 11.5%

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Forest Ownership In Northern Hesse By Area (ha) By Portion (%) Number of Owners State / Government174,75050 Communities 76, Private  >50 ha  <50 ha  collective (group of citizens) 97,860 45,435 31,455 20, (13) (9) (6) Ca.25, Ca. 24, ,500100

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Broad-leaved tree species: 50 % Standing volume: 319 m³/ha Annual increment: 11.0 m³/ha Annual cut: 7.5 m³/ha Annual harvest of beech: 1.3 Mio. m3

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management  Overpopulation of game  Grazing The situation of the forests in the past was characterised by:  Over exploitation  Extraction of leaves  Charcoal production

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Sustainable Forest Management Legal Obligations Extension Training and Incentives Certification

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management The forest owners are obliged to manage their forests According to management plans Professionally Sustainable

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Promotion of admixed stands Establishment of forests that show species composition, vertical structure and processes close to nature Preference of natural regeneration Production of high quality big dimensional timber Silvicultural principles

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Benchmarks for sound and sustainable forest management as defined by the Forest Act of Hesse Long- term perspective and Sustainability of forest production Avoidance of large area clear-cuttings Selection of site adapted tree species in case of afforestation and reforestation Use of forest reproductive material maintaining and enhancing genetic diversity Avoidance of use of pesticides Careful tending and regeneration of forests Application of working techniques, which protect forest stands and soils. Management plans

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Main Responsibilities of the Provincial Forest Administration As specified in the Hessian Forest Act Supervision of private and communal forest owners regarding the compliance of basic responsibilities Approval and monitoring of the medium-term management plans of private and communal forest enterprises Decision about Afforestation, Conversion and Reforestation Monitoring of Forest Functions

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Medium-term Forest Management Plan (10 years) is  Obligatory for all state, communal and collective forest enterprises  and also for private forest enterprises that exceed 100ha  Contents defined by the forest code  Provincial Forest Authority has to supervise and approve the elaboration of MFP for communal and private owned forests (incl. collective forests ), which give the following figures for MFP in Northern Hesse  Communal and corporate forests 189  Collective forests 287  Private forests 198

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Pathways to supervise SFM by PFA Within the procedure of elaborating the FMP critical evaluation of the previous activities Field inspections Inspect felling and regeneration documentation Continuous communication

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Legal regulations that should preserve forests  Forest functions have to be considered in public and private planning.  Clear-felled forests have to be reforested.  Conversion of forestland is forbidden. A permission to convert shall be governed by the proof of afforestation in the neighbourhood. (quantitative aspect of sustainability).

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Province of Northern Hesse: Conversion and afforestation of forest areas

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Survey and Mapping of Forest Functions

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Integrated and holistic approach by balancing the productive, protective and social functions of forests on each site Different categories of protective and recreational functions are assessed and mapped: - Water protection forests: 36 % of total forests - Soil protection forests: 21 % - Protection forests against climatic impacts32 % - Forests under nature protection45 % - Recreational forests37 % - Protected forests 2 % Each forest area has 2 functions in average, with a maximum of up to 14 sub- functions in the Rhein-Main-area Forest function surveying and mapping in Hesse

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Responsibilities of the Provincial Forest Administration As specified in the Law on Forest Reproductive Material  Official body responsible for questions concerning the control of marketing and/or the quality of forest reproductive material  Approval of basic material intended for the production of forest reproductive material, thus safeguarding both genetic diversity and high productivity of the forests  Maintain the national register of the basic material  Supervise and inspect official suppliers (nurseries, kilns..)

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Sustainable Forest Management Legal Obligations Extension Training and Incentives Certification

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Extension Services and Support Extension Service and Training is offered by Hessen-Forst Provincial Forest Authority is commissioned to grant financial incentives to private and communal forest owners These incentives arise from the financial aid provided for the conversion to „close to nature forestry“, afforestation activities and strengthening of forest owners associations. The financial support includes funds from the European Union, from The Federal Republic of Germany and Federal States like Hesse.

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Sustainable Forest Management Legal Obligations Extension Training and Incentives Certification

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Certification Forest owners can voluntarily agree to certain criteria of forest management being more restrict than the basic responsibilities. In Germany the forest owner can choose between two schemes of forest certification (FSC and PEFC). Independent evaluation verifies sustainable forest management. The customer can reward this by paying higher prices for the timber.

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Conclusion (1) The main concern of the Forest Act is the maintenance of the ecosystem rather than the strict regulation of forest management. Conclusion (2) Advisory services, training and incentive schemes contribute to improved forest management, simultaneously reducing administrative work at provincial level Conclusion (3) Forest certfification schemes are an important completion of the authoritative functions.

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Conclusion (4) The authoritative functions at provincial level shall :  Support sustainable forest management  Promote forestry sector as a contribution to rural development  Assist forest owners in sustainable forest management  Look after the matters of forestry in interdisciplinary committees.

Regierungspräsidium Kassel Sustainable Forest Management Thank you for your attention Rolf Schulzke