A forest plantation is an area where new forests can be planted and wood can be grown, for example, for industrial purposes. The Ministry of Climate's current vision would allow plantations to be established on low-value agricultural land that has not received financial support or afforestation investments in the last five years and does not host protected species and natural objects.

On forest land, plantations would be permitted in stands predominantly composed of gray alder, provided they are not located on peat, floodplain or coastal soils, according to Meelis Seedre, head of the forest department at the Ministry of Climate.

"State Forest Management Center (RMK) has already afforested practically all the land under its management that could be afforested. This primarily concerns private landowners who have found that they could put their land to better use if such an opportunity were available to them," said Seedre.

In simpler terms, a forest plantation is an area where the Forest Act would no longer apply in the future. The idea is to waive the clearing fee in plantations and allow the use of wood ash, Seedre added.

"It is also possible to harvest earlier – when a tree reaches the dimensions necessary for product creation, such as birch for veneer, there is no need to wait," he said.

According to Jaanus Aun, CEO of the Estonian Private Forest Association, forest owners have long awaited this kind of clarification in the law. The current Forest Act seemingly allows the establishment of tree and shrub plantations, but lower-level legal acts have not allowed for its implementation.

"There is a general norm, but it does not apply sensibly in practice. If someone made this investment and the trees are eight meters tall, the Land Board flies over, counts it all as forest land, and it gets registered as forest resources, with all the associated restrictions," Aun explained.

The Estonian University of Life Sciences has been researching forest plantations on low-value, unused agricultural lands for over 25 years. The results of these studies indicate that establishing plantations does not have negative consequences, said Reimo Lutter, associate professor of silviculture at the university.

"Rather, it involves additional and rapid carbon sequestration. There has been no significant impact on soil fertility, and it has even provided opportunities for biodiversity. In fact, half of Estonia's forests are first-generation forests on former agricultural land where there was no forest before," Lutter noted.

Lutter also mentioned that deciduous trees, particularly native silver birch, which has valuable wood and plays a key role in future investments in the wood industry, could grow in Estonian plantations.

"In fact, a plantation does not have to consist of a single species; it can also be mixed forest," he said.

However, none of the speakers expect a massive boom in plantation establishment. According to Lutter, nurseries are not yet prepared to produce the necessary seedlings. Additionally, no state financial support is expected, meaning that the initial investment – around €1,500 per hectare – must be paid by the landowner out of their own pocket.

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