Climate Minister Yoko Alender (Reform) proposed last week that the logging volume for the State Forest Management Center (RMK) remain the same next year as this year. She justified the proposal by emphasizing the need for stability, stating that annual changes to logging volumes create uncertainty in the business environment and hinder RMK's ability to develop long-term forest management plans.

The Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association (EMPL) has welcomed the proposal. The association's CEO, Henrik Välja, told ERR that he supports the minister's plan to maintain stability in logging volumes.

"RMK is a key partner for Estonia's wood industry, providing a reliable supply of raw materials, which is essential for investments. This, in turn, helps maintain jobs in the sector, particularly in southern and central Estonia, boosts the economy amid a period of 10 consecutive quarters of economic decline, and contributes tax revenue to a struggling state budget," Välja explained.

He added that there are concerns about the future role of state forests in supporting the economy, given the restrictions placed on state forestry in recent years.

The Estonian Private Forest Union noted that while they are not the appropriate body to assess RMK's logging volumes, they believe that planning for state forest logging should balance economic, environmental and social aspects, based on a scientific approach.

"For the forestry sector as a whole, maintaining stability in logging volumes is crucial to ensure the sector's viability and investment security," said Anniki Lepik, the union's communications manager.

Nature protectors: Current logging volume borrowing at the expense of the future

The Chamber of Estonian Environmental Organizations has voiced dissatisfaction with the Climate Ministry's plan, arguing that the proposal does not align with Estonia's long-term forestry goals.

"Logging at the current rate clearly borrows from the future, as forest reserves are already declining. Our position is that logging volumes in state forests must be reduced to ensure biodiversity preservation, climate adaptation and sustainable forest management," said Eliisa Pass, a forestry expert with the Estonian Fund for Nature, which is part of the chamber.

Pass emphasized that overlogging and excessive wood consumption have been ignored in Estonia for decades, resulting in diminishing forest reserves, impoverished forest ecosystems and increasingly younger forests. Maintaining logging volumes at the current level, she argued, neither protects biodiversity nor supports national climate goals and instead causes irreversible harm to the environment.

"If we don't reduce logging volumes now, any future reductions could be abrupt due to shrinking forest reserves, which would have significant economic impacts. Therefore, we should start reducing logging volumes gradually and steadily," Pass suggested.

She acknowledged the minister's intention to implement eco-friendly forest management practices and continuous cover forestry as necessary but pointed out that these goals conflict with the proposal to maintain clear-cutting areas at a high level.

"If national logging volumes and the extent of clear-cutting, including regeneration felling, are not reduced, efforts to implement new eco-friendly management methods will remain merely symbolic," Pass argued, adding that the minister's decision does not align with public expectations.

Pass cited a survey conducted by Turu-uuringute AS at the beginning of last year, which found that a majority of Estonians support reducing logging volumes in state forests.

Last year, the Climate Ministry designated 9,180 hectares as the optimal area for regeneration felling under RMK's management. In 2022, RMK contributed €88.7 million to the state treasury, including €75 million in dividends and €13.7 million in dividend-related income tax.

For this year, RMK's dividend target is €119.6 million, in addition to the income tax associated with those dividends.

Approximately 50 percent of Estonia's land is forested, with half of that managed by the RMK, which plays a central role in balancing environmental conservation and economic returns. Estonia's forests also hold cultural significance, which contrasts with less forested nations in Western Europe.

However, forestry practices, particularly clear-cutting versus selective felling, often spark political debate, with environmental concerns about the impact on biodiversity.

In late 2022, Madis Kallas, one of Alender's predecessors, failed to pass a proposal to reduce RMK's annual renewal felling volumes, though the reduced quota of 9,180 hectares for the next five years became standard.

Meanwhile, Estonia is facing challenges in meeting its EU Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) targets for 2021-2025, potentially resulting in costs of hundreds of millions of euros.

The Ministry of Climate, formed in 2023, now oversees forest management, a responsibility previously held by the Environment Ministry.

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