The Ecological and Historical Background of Forest Management in Hungary

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The current situation and problems of forest management in Hungary need to be viewed in the light of the ecological and historical background of forestry in Hungary. As far as the natural environment is concerned, the following ecological factors have been the most significant in the development of forest management. Hungary is a small Central-European, lowland country, surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides. A continental climate, small amounts of annual precipitation, relatively low levels of air humidity, hot summers, cold winters and the lack of densely forested mountainous terrain, tailor the potentialities of forestry management in Hungary. Furthermore, forest resources are limited - forest cover is only 18% of the total land area, of which 85% is deciduous stands, and 70% of that is hardwood stands. To add to this, the forest is threatened by game overpopulation, frequent droughts, heavy and wet snowfalls and decreasing ground-water levels. As for the history of forest usage, more or less uncontrolled utilization of forest resources characterized the period until the second half of the nineteenth century, when the first Forestry Law was enacted in 1879. After the First World War, the Paris Peace Treaty (Versailles 1920) deprived Hungary of 84% of her forest cover. The Second World War's high demand for wood once again led to large-scale exploitation. As a consequence, Hungary's forests became more or less even-aged and less diverse in species. During the communist era, vast barren areas were afforested by non-native conifers, hybrid poplars and black locust. Though these plantations proved useful in protecting agricultural areas from deflation and erosion, their harvest and regeneration will place a heavy burden on their owners and managers, as huge areas are maturing at the same time. Furthermore, these plantations have recently turned out to be susceptible to climatic hazards, pests and diseases. A relatively short rotation and regeneration period, and the spatial and temporal concentration of logging operations were the main features of the 55 years of state forest ownership and management. From the middle of the 1980's, the importance of sustainable, environmentally sound, "nature-friendly" forest management has been emphasized. The recent privatization of forestland led to the development of private forest management, and the re-evaluation of forest management and forestry policy has become necessary to address the issues of the new situation.
森林計画学会の論文

The Ecological and Historical Background of Forest Management in Hungary

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