The state actually began updating the forestry development plan back in 2018. At the time, the goal was to draft a ten-year plan extending to 2030.

Although the plan passed its first reading in the Riigikogu in January 2023, it was never adopted. The development plan sparked several debates, including over what the state's recommended long-term annual logging volume should be.

Historically, the logging volume in such plans has been presented as a forecast and recommended level — an estimate of how much wood could be harvested in Estonia while taking into account forest growth, conservation needs and economic objectives. It has never been a legally binding limit, but rather a political guideline to help steer the forestry sector and broader society.

For instance, the draft plan submitted to the Riigikogu in 2023 stated that the annual logging volume should remain stable, within a range of 9 to 11 million cubic meters.

The Ministry of Climate is now finalizing a new forestry development plan. However, according to Kristi Parro, head of the ministry's forestry department, this version does not set any targets for long-term logging volumes.

"In the past, we included a recommended range for logging. We won't be doing that this time, because we can't force a forest owner to log. If their forest, which they've cultivated and managed, meets the conditions set out in the Forest Act, then they have the right to harvest it," Parro said. "What we're offering in the plan is a long-term perspective. We're not getting into specific numbers — whether it's 12, 10 or six million cubic meters."

Instead, the development plan focuses on the consistent use of forest resources — ensuring that the raw materials the industry will need in the future are continuously available.

Parro said that over the long term, the aim should be to ensure the forestry sector always has access to a steady volume of usable forest.

"Right now, we certainly aren't harvesting as much as we could. But we also don't want to prescribe a number or evaluate whether we've met some logging target, because logging targets shouldn't be set by the ministry. They need to emerge from the broader context — what the international demand for wood is, what society's needs are and all of those expectations must be met simultaneously," she said.

Parro noted that, overall, the new plan includes only minor changes compared with the previous version. The core principles remain the same as those agreed upon five years ago.

"We've updated the data and expanded the chapters that were previously rather sparse. But there are no major changes. In fact, you could say the forestry development plan has been essentially ready for several years," she said.

While the previous version was drafted through 2030, the new plan extends its outlook to 2035.

"If we stuck to just a five-year horizon, that would be too short, given how long forest processes take. Even a ten-year timeframe is too limited. That's why we're moving toward a longer-term vision and anchoring the plan in the core principles of forest policy," the department head explained.

Parro could not yet say when the new plan would be introduced to the public.

The Riigikogu is expected to approve the new forestry development plan later this year.

According to Parro, the plan currently in preparation is expected to be the last of its kind.

"In the future, we'll shift to updating the long-established principles of forest policy. That process will begin either at the end of this year or early next year. It will be a separate undertaking," she said.

Private forest owners want certainty

The Estonian Private Forest Association (Erametsaliit) and the NGO Save Estonia's Forests (MTÜ Päästame Eesti Metsad) said the ministry has not yet presented the new forestry development plan to them.

Arpo Kullerkupp, policy advisor to the board of Erametsaliit, said their main expectation is that private forest owners have a sense of security in managing their property.

"The biggest concern is that if I renew my forest today, I want to be sure that in 10 or 20 years, for example, a nature reserve won't be designated here. The investment I make today — with results only visible decades later — shouldn't be taken away from me. And if it is, and it's truly important from a conservation perspective, then how will I be compensated?" he said.

Kullerkupp noted that many forest owners today are hesitant to take certain actions for fear that they'll lose their investment due to future restrictions on forest use.

When it comes to thinning and maintenance cuts, Erametsaliit would like the development plan to specify what share of forestry activity these should represent in the future or how much of such work should be carried out.

Conservationists want logging volumes slashed

Farištamo Eller, a board member of the NGO Save Estonia's Forests (MTÜ Päästame Eesti Metsad), said that Estonia needs a development plan that would help bring logging volumes under control.

"Right now, forest reserves are shrinking, which means we're logging beyond sustainable levels. Protected areas and natural sacred sites must be meaningfully preserved. There should also definitely be a ban on logging during the nesting season," she said.

Eller argued that lowering the logging volume would also help resolve many other issues. "It would make it much easier to protect conservation areas, to preserve community forests and to maintain nesting peace," she said.

She added that a comprehensive forest inventory has yet to be conducted and that Estonia's natural values have not been fully mapped. "A lot of logging happens without a clear understanding of what kinds of natural assets are being lost," she noted.

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