Reprivatization in Polish forestry !

[Ron Wenrich]

Don Staples wrote:

> Janusz Czerepko wrote:
> >
> >     Polish government want to reprivatize own forests. In Poland
> > majority of forest area are state (exactly 7282 ha - 83 % of total
> > forest area). The government wont to give back forest land for owner
> > before second world war. After this operation will be 30 % state
> > forests.
> >     I wont to ask you what do you think about it ? What advice could you
> > give for us Polish people of course. Give me advantages and
> > disadvantages connected with reprivatization Polish forests.
>
> The Polish population is already familiar with and capable of working in
> a collective system.  What would be the possiblity of forming community
> forests, owned by the community, worked by the community, with each
> family having a "share" in the forests?  Once the shock of private
> ownership wares off, the parts could be divided and the forest worked as
> a cooperative, rather than a collective, and at some point, convert to
> individual ownership.

Good point.  They could form landowner co-ops, such as they have in Sweden.
They manage their own woodlots, and also have mills.  11% of Sweden's
production come from such co-ops.  These Swedish forests won't be changing
hands very quickly, and lend to long term mgmt.  Whether that is achievable in
Poland is unknown, but the knowledge of co-ops is closer to their shores than
to ours.

RDW