In spring, Minister of Energy and Environment Andres Sutt paused long‑prepared plans to amend the Forest Act and the Nature Conservation Act because no compromise was found between industry and conservationists on how forests should be used and protected.

The laws would have set, among other things, that 70 percent of forest land would be managed and 30 percent protected.

To bring interest groups closer together and find common ground, the ministry plans to convene two separate councils by the end of August: a forestry council and a scientific council related to forestry.

Kristi Parro, head of the forestry department at the Ministry of Climate, said the ministry met forestry stakeholders in early June at Sagadi Manor, and together they reached the understanding that there is currently no good format for discussing major choices in forestry before decisions are made.

She said the proposal emerged that one suitable format would be a forestry council consisting of roughly the same people and interest groups. It would discuss everyday issues as well as broader long‑term goals, make agreements and give the minister guidance on the direction society expects Estonia to take.

According to Parro, the council should have 15–20 members, and in addition to interest groups, representatives of state agencies, scientists and even politicians could participate.

She said all major forestry‑related interest groups, starting with landowners, have likely received an invitation. The aim is to involve as many people as possible who are connected to forestry. Some have declined and do not wish to participate.

Parro said that if the forestry community wishes, the council could also discuss specific draft laws, but that is not the main goal. The aim is not only to decide how to proceed with draft laws, but to create a broader forum for agreeing on the nature, goals and vision of forestry.

In addition to the forestry council, a separate scientific council will be created, consisting only of university researchers. Because data has always been a key issue in forestry — what data exists, how accurate it is and what it shows — the need for a scientific council arose. It would examine statistical forest inventories and scientific data and provide input to the forestry council for discussions and proposals.

Parro said the forestry council is expected to meet at least twice this year, possibly more. A detailed schedule will be set at the end of August when the first meeting takes place.

The government has already created many councils

A forestry council is not new. About ten years ago, before public debate on the forestry development plan intensified, the Ministry of the Environment had a forestry council consisting of about ten experts and interest groups.

Creating councils is also familiar to the current government. Three years ago, the climate council was established, later followed by the efficiency and economic growth council, and earlier this year the artificial intelligence (AI) council was launched.

Kristi Parro said she cannot say how or to what extent the forestry council might differ from the climate council. She has not participated in the climate council's daily work and does not know how its discussions have developed, but she has heard internally that the format might be similar.

Climate council member: the climate council's experience should be avoided

Maia‑Liisa Anton, who served on the climate council, said she hopes the ministry will take the climate council's experience into account when creating the forestry council. In the climate council, presentations were given and comments could be made, but no real discussion took place on key substantive issues.

She said meetings were held, but important questions — such as different options for the climate law or drafts of the climate law before they were completed — were not actually discussed.

Anton did not call the climate council purely symbolic involvement. She said it seemed the ministry itself was unclear about the role it envisioned for the council. In the preparation of draft laws, all interest groups must be able to express their views, and this raises the question of whether certain councils are given a more important role in the process.

Forestry industry: actions and decisions are needed

Henrik Välja, CEO of the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association, said they received an invitation to participate in the forestry council a few weeks ago.

He said there is a risk the forestry council could become another talk‑shop like the climate council, but creating such a discussion format is positive.

Välja said his expectation is that the format should lead the ministry to actual decisions and actions. The issue has been debated for roughly ten years.

The most important thing, according to Välja, is to fix in law that 70 percent of forest land is managed forest and 30 percent protected forest. He said the current situation, where this principle is not legally established, is harmful to the wood sector. Companies are holding back investments and competitiveness is slowly eroding, while in other countries work continues and factories are being built.

Conservationist: scientists should not argue with lobbyists

Tarmo Tüür, chairman of the Estonian Fund for Nature, said he approaches the council with caution and some skepticism, but acknowledges that such a discussion platform is better than having none.

Tüür also said the forestry council must be ready to make decisions, not only discuss. Discussions make sense only if they can form the basis for decisions. He praised the plan to establish a separate scientific council. Scientists should not argue with lobbyists but provide the best knowledge to decision‑makers.

Tüür said it is important that all forestry‑related parties are genuinely included in the council's work. He noted that the Ministry of Climate did not invite the ornithological society or the NGO Hoiame Loodust to the Sagadi discussions in June.

He said a broad‑based agreement is needed in forestry. From the perspective of nature, the current situation is not good. Logging volumes remain at record levels and the state of nature is declining.

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