The law on forests sparked many controversies as soon as it was established. The opinions of many scientists, environmental organizations and nature conservation activists were ignored. The liberality of this law, incompatible with the ecological function of forests, has already produced visible results. Privately-owned forests, cut without regard for restoration, soil and water protection, are dying. Freelance "management" of state-owned forests leads to widespread stealing of wood. The article reviews the present situation and draws practical conclusions, and also provides convincing grounds for implementing the suggested measures.
The basic criterion for determining whether there should be a change in the use of forest land for non-forest purposes is the conceptual category of “forest land”. This category, according to the Act on the Protection of Lands, is not identical with forest land in the land and building register, but refers to the concept of forest in accordance with the Forestry Act, taking into account the surface criterion and connection with forest management. This leads to major practical difficulties, as it is usually the register of land and buildings that is the basic source of information on land cover. The above issue is illustrated by the issue of tree and bushy land discussed in the article, which despite the fact that they are forest land according to the records, do not constitute forests. In the author’s opinion, such lands do not require permission to change their purpose for non-forest purposes.