Climate Minister Yoko Alender (Reform) stated at a ministry press conference that the area under protection in Estonia should be expanded, increasing it from the current 27.7 percent of the mainland to 30 percent.

According to Alender, this figure would serve as both the minimum and maximum limit. In other words, the Ministry of Climate would not permit any further areas to be placed under protection beyond this threshold. If additional protection were desired, another area would need to be removed from protection. A separate commission will be established to make these decisions.

Antti Tooming, deputy secretary general for biodiversity and environmental protection at the Ministry of Climate, explained that the expansion of protected areas will primarily involve state lands, with minimal impact on private lands.

The bill, which addresses the protection of 30 percent of Estonia's land area, also includes plans to ban clear-cutting and selective cutting in the buffer zones of protected areas, permanent habitats and conservation areas. Overall, the Ministry of Climate plans to prohibit clear-cutting on 125,000 hectares, of which 36,000 hectares on private land.

The ministry notes in the explanatory memorandum that in protected areas where clear-cutting was previously allowed, this change will have a positive impact on biodiversity.

On the other hand, the ministry acknowledges that the amendment could have a negative economic impact, considering that clear-cutting is more cost-effective. "However, the negative impact may be offset by rising timber prices due to longer cutting cycles," the bill's drafters noted.

Tooming remarked during the press conference that banning clear-cutting in nature reserves is one of the most significant changes. "To ensure that where we protect nature, it is indeed effectively protected."

The new law would allow forest owners to cut up to five cubic meters per hectare annually from their protected forests without submitting a forest notification.

Minister Yoko Alender emphasized that this concession is a way to consider the needs of local residents. "We really cannot have a situation where local people have to bring their firewood from far away," Alender said.

"We have real-life examples in Estonia, including some that have reached me, where on small islands or in certain areas, it is no longer possible to gather firewood. Therefore, this change is based on a genuine need. It has been assessed to ensure that the character of the forest remains unchanged and that it does not harm nature," the minister added.

Tree plantations as compensation

The Estonian forestry industry is set to face additional restrictions, which are to be compensated by a new provision allowing the creation of tree plantations. An amendment to the standalone Forestry Act is planned, which would permit the establishment of forest plantations on agricultural land.

Antti Tooming explained that the areas for planting trees will be selected very carefully.

"Valuable agricultural land cannot be used for this purpose. It also cannot be done on valuable conservation areas or areas with potential for conservation. We are primarily looking at less valuable agricultural land that is no longer in use, as well as gray alder stands where this could be done," Tooming noted.

The Ministry of Climate did not disclose the highly debated forestry development plan, which includes the volume of wood to be harvested from Estonia's forests, alongside these bills. Tooming mentioned that although the development plan is essentially ready, the ministry is withholding it for political reasons.

"There was a political expectation that we could not proceed until these amendments and the draft legislation were on the table. This plan remains in place," Tooming said.

"When these bills finally reach the Riigikogu and the government, the forestry development plan will also be brought to the table so that we can finalize it and establish a societal agreement on how we manage our forests," Tooming added.

However, one of the proposed changes from the Ministry of Climate is to end the practice of creating a 10-year forestry development plan, which would typically be approved by the Riigikogu.

In the explanatory memorandum, the ministry noted that a 10-year perspective is too short, and the Riigikogu does not approve other strategic documents of the Estonian state. The drafters of the bill also mentioned that the matter needs to be addressed quickly, as otherwise, the development of the 2040 forestry plan would need to begin as early as next year.

Tooming suggested that in the future, long-term forestry views could be embedded in the fundamentals of forest policy. The ministry acknowledges that the document, which was approved by the Riigikogu in 1997, needs to be updated.

Additionally, the Ministry of Climate plans to increase various environmental fines and end the practice of purchasing land from owners who were already aware of existing or impending environmental protection restrictions when acquiring the land.

Contrary to good legislative and regulatory drafting practices, the ministry did not prepare a legislative intent plan for these bills. The ministry is accepting amendment proposals until September 11.

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