The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is closely following the situation between the European Commission and the Polish authorities regarding harvesting activities in parts of the Bialowieza Forest
While the forest areas that are subject to logging are not FSC certified, our organization is concerned about the potential negative effects that increased sanitary cuttings in the forest districts of Browsk, Bialowieza and Hajnowka, alleged as necessary by the Polish authorities, could have on existing high conservation value (HCV) forests.
The emergency ban on logging imposed by the European Court of Justice shows that there is a risk that further logging activities in these forest districts of the Bialowieza Forest constitute a violation of EU legislation to protect biodiversity. To this effect, FSC has requested the forest management authorities of Poland to provide relevant information about their logging activities in the region to assess if the material originating from the area could still meet controlled wood requirements. Read more…
