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State Forests (Polish: Lasy Państwowe, full name: Państwowe Gospodarstwo Leśne "Lasy Państwowe", literally National Forest Holding "State Forests", but usually referred to as State Forests National Forest Holding) is a Polish governmental organization that manages state-owned Polish forests on behalf of the Polish State Treasury. The organization does not have a legal personality and is required to be financially self-sufficient.
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The Act on Forests of 28 September 1991, with amendments, makes the State Forests responsible for "forest management to ensure general protection of forests, sustainable maintenance, continuity and sustainable use of all forest functions and increase of forest resources".
It was founded in 1924 and oversees about 7.5 million hectares (an area that constitutes about 25% of Poland's territory) of forested terrain. The territory managed by the State Forests covers about 77.8% of Polish forests. Notably, State Forests do not manage Poland's National Parks. They are, however, involved in managing of forests in Landscape Parks (which cover about 8% of Poland's territory).
As of 2008, the fixed assets owned by State Forests were worth PLN 3,659.3 million.
In 2013, State Forests received the prestigious Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation, for outstanding contributions in the management and preservation of the environment (see [1] and [2]).
Managed forests
As of 31 December 2008, State Forests managed 7,595,372 hectares. These were classified as:
Over 70% of trees administered by State Forests are pine and larch. The average age of the trees is around 60 years.
Organization
State Forests is headed by the Director General. The General Directorate supervises 17 Regional Directorates, which in turn are divided into 431 Forest Districts. There are also 22 organisational units (departments), seven organisational units – departments with national authority, nine Forest Protection Teams and eleven Inspection Regions.
Since 7 February 2012, the Director General is Adam Wasiak.
The 17 Regional Directorates are:
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Białystok
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Gdańsk
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Katowice
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Kraków
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Krosno
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Lublin
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Łódź
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Olsztyn
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Piła
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Poznań
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Radom
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Szczecin
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Szczecinek
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Toruń
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Warsaw
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Wrocław
- Regional Directorate of State Forests in Zielona Góra
In 2008, State Forests employed 26,054 people.