How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe 416 Woziwoda – Educational and social functions of forests in northern Poland S. Konczal1, A. Konczal2 C 18 ¹ Woziwoda Forest District, Woziwoda Poland ² European Forest Institute, Bonn, Germany Context, legal frame, history, and in northern Poland. Geographically, forest stands ownership of Woziwoda Forest District are part of the largest continuous forest area in Poland – the Tuchola For- The Woziwoda Forest District is located on the est (Bory Tucholskie). This forested region has been administrational territory of the Kuyavian- Pomera- frequently mentioned in written documents, as far nian Voivodeship and the Pomeranian Voivodeship back as the Middle Ages. Therefore, forest develop- Poland Legend Borders of Woziwoda Forest District Forests of Woziwoda Forest District Private Forests N km 0 1,5 3 6 9 12 15 Sources: Esri, Airbus DS, USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR, N Robinson, NCEAS, NLS, OS, NMA, Geodatastyrelsen, Rijkswaterstaat, GSA, Geoland, FEMA, NMA, Geodatastyrelsen, Rijkswaterstaat, GSA, NCEAS, NLS, OS, NASA,CGIAR, N Robinson, Airbus DS, USGS, NGA, Sources: Esri, Community contributors, and the GIS User NOAA, USGS, © OpenStreetMap HERE, Garmin, FAO, Sources: Esri, and the GIS user community; Intermap < Fig. C 18.1. Forests in Woziwoda, dominated by Scots pine and characterised by intensive management. The open water bodies show the great potential for nature conservation (Photo: Woziwoda Forest District). 417 Timber/Biomass Groundwater Non-timber products Statement Climate Erosion “Nature protection through moderate and rational use.” Landscape Protection Recreation Biodiversity Table C 18.1. General information on the forests of Woziwoda Forest District. Total forest area 13 830 ha Organisational structure 12 forestry units Main management types Mainly Scots pine forest managed according to multifunctional principles Total standing volume 3 745 000 m³ Annual growth 7.7 m³/ha Annual cut 74 000 m³ or 5.4 m³/ha Deadwood (standing and lying) 45 925 m³ (3.3 m³/ha) of which 14 822 m³ is lying and 31 103 m³ is standing Altitude 60–100 m a.s.l. Ownership 85 % state forests 15 % private forests, church forests, and Small scale mosaic of sandy, marly or clayey soils, mostly nutrient rich; municipal forests 50 % of soils are largely impenetrable for fine roots, 75 % are sensitive to soil damage by forestry machines Geology Predominantly acidic soil (glacial sands) Protected areas Six nature reserves (254 ha) 42 nature monuments Special designated ecological areas (321 ha) Nature protection area (Natura 2000) 14 815 ha Protective function 776.6 ha ment and management are well-known and issued a decree ‘on the development of the Tuchola described as compared to other forest districts in Forest’ – creating eight administrative areas each Poland, especially in the northern part of the coun- about 6000 ha in size, including Woziwoda District. try. The Woziwoda Forest District was then established After the Polish state regained these areas in 1833, in the course of forest administrative areas from the Teutonic Knights in 1466, the forests being transformed to forest districts. After Poland became part of royal estates and were managed by regained independence in 1918, the Council of the Mayor of Tuchola. As a result of the First Parti- Ministers transferred forest areas in 1922 to the tion of Poland in 1772, the entire royal forests were Minister of Agriculture and State Property to be expropriated for the benefit of the Prussian king. supervised by the Forestry Department. Following The end of the eighteenth century is then regarded numerous reorganisations, the Forest District of as the beginning of an organised forest manage- Woziwoda has remained unchanged since 1993 ment in Tuchola Forest. In 1782, the Prussian king (fig. C 18.1 and C 18.2). 418 C 18 Woziwoda, Poland Fig. C 18.2. The Woziwoda Forest District Office (Photo: by Daniel Janczyk). Portrait ber. The soil of Woziwoda Forest District is predom- inantly acidic and derived from glacial sands. In “The main goal of our forest enterprise is to man- terms of altitude, it belongs to lowland areas. age our forests sustainably so they will provide all The forests of Woziwoda Forest District are needed forest functions. Alongside timber produc- managed according to multifunctional principles. tion, it is at the heart of our work to ensure a broad The main functions are economic, protective, eco- range of ecosystem services; this will guarantee logical, and social with an emphasis on education. that the forests are resilient, rich in biodiversity, Revenue is generated mainly by timber harvesting and are a place for recreation. Special emphasis is with an average annual cut of about 74 000 m³. given to education and interaction with the public Despite mainly being composed of a single tree for creating a better understanding of the forest species, the forests are rich in terms of nature and and their wide range of services”. their protection value. The entire area of the dis- trict coincides with the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve which was established in 2010. Natura 2000 Forest in figures areas cover almost the entire area of the Woziwoda Forest District. Apart from the Natura 2000 areas, Woziwoda Forest District covers an area of 14 830 the district also includes six nature reserves with a ha, of which 95 % are covered by forests. The forest total area of 254 ha, a landscape park, 42 nature district is divided into 12 forestry units. The district monuments (mostly single veteran or magnificent also has its own forest nursery. trees [Fig. C 18.4.]), as well as designated ecological Forests are dominated by coniferous forests, areas covering 321 ha. mostly Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris); this species accounts for 92 % of the forest area (fig. C 18.3.). These Scots pine stands produce high-quality tim- 419 How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe Fig. C 18.3. Typical pine forest in the Woziwoda Forest District (Photo: Stefan Konczal). accounts for 94.6 %, the environmental function 8% for 0.9 %, and the social function for 4.5 % of the entire costs of the Woziwoda Forest District. During the period 2017–2019, the average har- vested timber volume amounted to about 79 000 m³ Scots pine (not including small-sized timber). The average sell- Other coniferous and ing price of wood was about 40 €/m³ (168 PLN/m³). broadleaves species 92% Wood sales accounted for approximately 94 % of the total annual revenues. The remaining 6 % are mainly from selling seedlings, leasing of land and buildings, and subsidies from the Regional Fund for Fig. C 18.4. Tree species distribution Woziwoda Forest District. Environmental Protection and Water Management. A total annual revenue of € 3 016 360 (13 272 000 PLN). Economy About 40 %, or 31 600 m³ is large-sized timber of which 90 % is coniferous. It is usually made avail- There are several factors that mean the harvesting able in the form of long-sized logs. Logs of medium and management costs in Woziwoda Forest District dimension are mainly sold as pulp wood, for pallet are lower than in other regions of the country. production, or in the so-called ‘garden programme’ These include: the relatively uniform species com- (medium-sized timber processed into garden prod- position and habitat structure; the large propor- ucts). Low-quality timber of larger dimensions is tion of protected forest areas mean that mainte- sold as firewood to the local population. The main nance and management costs are in general low; recipients of harvested timber are large pulp mills, and the topography. Other economic factors of sawmills producing for domestic and foreign needs, importance are the risk of natural disturbances companies processing medium-sized wood and such as forest fires, the costs incurred for forest pro- exporting their products to countries such as Ger- tection, and the road network. many, France, and the UK. In the wake of the hurri- Nearly all income is generated via economic cane of 11th–12th August 2017, a significant share of function. Only 0.1 % is provided by social functions. the harvested wood was actually exported as logs With respect to the costs, the economic function to China and Scandinavia. Every year in the Wozi- 420 C 18 Woziwoda, Poland woda Forest District, about 200 m³ of wood is innovative research. Tasks of the FPC are carried out exported as electricity poles to Italy. within the ‘Economic and Protection Programme’. The average annual administrative costs aver- The FPC activities are overseen by the FPC Social age about € 1 636 360 (7 200 000 PLN), while the and Scientific Council, which is composed of costs for forest management, wood harvesting, researchers, local decision-makers, regional stake- and removal amount to € 1 140 909 (5 020 000 PLN). holders, and members of local community. The total annual costs are about € 2 777 273 The Woziwoda Forest District is one of two (12 220 000 PLN). The cost/income ratio in the Wozi- locations in the region where practical vocational woda Forest District is 0.92. training classes take place for students of the Adam Loret Forestry Technical Secondary School located in Tuchola. In the Woziwoda Forest District consid- Other ecosystem services erable emphasis is given to environmental and for- estry education. The main objectives are: conveying There are two Natura 2000 areas in the territory of information and knowledge about forest ecosys- the Woziwoda Forest District: (1) Bory Tucholskie tems, the concepts of sustainability and multi-func- (PLB 220009), was established as a Special Protec- tionality, and how to manage forests to ensure the tion Area under the Birds Directive and covers full range of forest ecosystem services. Various almost the entire area of the forest district forms of educational activities are implemented.