Forest reform in Bavaria

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The forest reform in Bavaria in 2004 goes back to the government declaration of the Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber on November 6, 2003 after his election victory in Bavaria , in which he announced a balanced budget in Bavaria for 2006. The forest in Bavaria covers around a third of the country's area and one third (800,000 hectares) belongs to the state. The forest budget in 2003 was € 140 million, which is 0.4% of the state budget. The forest reform should save around € 500,000 per year.

Reform content

Sebastian Freiherr von Rotenhan was one of the main driving forces behind the forest reform . Since 1998 he had called for the dissolution of the standardized forest offices and the creation of structures under private law for the state forests . The planned privatization of the Bavarian state forest was not carried out after violent protests from both the public and the CSU parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament. Instead, a concept for the forest management reform was decided in March 2004 , which provided for the following measures:

  • In the next few years, all 128 Bavarian forest offices are to be dissolved and incorporated into the agricultural offices . Together with the dissolution of the four forest directorates and the streamlining of the forest ministry , around 1,000 of the currently around 5,000 forest employees are to be saved.
  • The previous sovereign tasks of the forest offices, i.e. the enforcement of legal provisions that affect the forest, were integrated into the agricultural offices, which were initially called the offices for agriculture and forestry (ALF) and today the offices for food, agriculture and forestry (ÄELF). Some of the tasks of the district offices (e.g. issuing first afforestation or clearing permits) are now performed by the departments for food, agriculture and forestry.
  • The management of the state forest is the task of an institution under public law , the Bavarian State Forests , based in Regensburg .
  • Free advice from private forest owners is less comprehensive.
  • The free cultivation of communal forest up to 50 hectares by state foresters will also be discontinued.

Referendum against the reform

Nature and environmental protection associations turned against this forest reform in an action alliance with the popular initiative “For love of the forest”.

Advocates

According to the initiators, the reform is an attempt to prepare for the privatization of forests . The establishment is operated according to exclusively profit-oriented, commercial aspects. The pressure to convert mixed forests into spruce plantations and to cultivate them with intensive use of machines is great. The care and advice of private forest owners and corporations will largely be discontinued.

The referendum was supported by the General German Bicycle Club , the Rural Agriculture Working Group , the Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation , the German Alpine Association , Attac , numerous other environmental and nature conservation associations and prominent individuals.

opponent

The opponents of the referendum have appeared in public as the “We are the forest!” Alliance, in particular the Bavarian Forest Owners Association , the German Farmers Association , the Taxpayers Association and the CSU parliamentary group.

It is merely an administrative reform with the aim of reducing bureaucracy and redundant staff. The new, business-oriented company relieves taxpayers. However, the forest will continue to be managed sustainably and site-appropriate, in accordance with Agenda 21 . Privatization or savings on nature conservation are not planned. There will also continue to be advice for private forest farmers , but only at the level of the forest communities.

Result

From November 16 to 29, 2004, the citizens of Bavaria were able to support the referendum with their signature in order to vote on the forest reform in a referendum . However, this referendum just missed the prescribed mark of a tenth of the citizens eligible to vote with 9.3% (= 854,000 signatures).

On September 28, 2004 , the Bavarian State Government signed a so-called forest pact with the Bavarian Farmers 'Association and the Bavarian Forest Owners Association , which provides for an increase in funds for the forest owners' associations. This is intended to compensate for the discontinuation of free advice to private forest owners. From the point of view of the initiators of the referendum, these and other concessions were able to dissuade the forest owners association from supporting the referendum.

See also

People's legislation in Bavaria

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