PROTEST AGAINST LOGGING BIALOWIEZA PRIMEVAL FOREST IN THE BIRD BREEDING SEASON

Dear Friends,
Bialowieza Forest is something absolutely special. It is our European “Amazon jungle” . I have been walking in this forest for 20 years and I am still astonished at its amazing beauty, it is like a miracle. It is the last lowland primeval forest in the temperate zone. Even in North America there is not any temperate forest with this primeval character in such a good state of conservation. Such forests grew for centuries from the Urals to Ireland and Spain. Nowadays, only 1500 km2 remain; in Belarus (800 km2), in Poland (600 km2). Whereas, the Belarussian part of the forest is entirely protected as a National Park, in Poland only 16% is under protection. Every year, we Polish, cut more than 100 thousand m3 of wood. Recently, logging has taken place even in the natural reserves outside the National Park. Claimed by foresters as strictly necessary to preserve the forest, the truth is that the more we log, the less primeval and natural the forest is. Every tree cut and every tree planted is a catastrophe. This might make sense in a managed forest, but here, it means loosing its primeval character. We destroy something which is going on for 8 thousand years. It is like taking the bricks of the last medieval cathedral in Europe and replacing them with concrete blocks. It is a big shame that Poland, my country, is the one ruining such a treasure. As a country, we do not need the wood from Bialowieza because we get from other Polish forests 30 million m3 of wood every year. This is absolutely enough for our houses and furniture. Wood from Bialowieza represents cash just for a few people. But this forest belongs to all of us!

Unfortunately, Polish governments have always been very influenced by forester and hunter lobbys (in fact a lot of politicians hunt), and they keep on postponing the issue of Bialowieza Forest protection. For decades, the government has been putting off the creation of a National Park in the whole forest under the argument that it was a decision of the local authorities. However, the government is competent enough to stop logging. Just one signature from the General Director of the State Forest, who is under the Ministry of Environment, would be enough. At least they could stop logging during the breeding season of birds. Bialowieza Forest is inhabited by an incredible large number of white-backed woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, pygmy owl, Tengmalm’s owl, collared flycatcher, red-breasted flycatcher, hazel grouse and the lesser spotted eagle. They deserve not to be disturbed at least from march to the end of august. This is the absolute minimum responsibility we have for the birds living here and for the last of our forests.
Yours Adam Wajrak

Please send a mail to
ANDRZEJ KRASZEWSKI, Polish Minister of the Environment
and The State Forests National Forest Holding:
Biuro.Ministra@mos.gov.pl, sekretariat@lasy.gov.pl 
and CC to adam.wajrak@gazeta.pl


Dear Sirs,
Please stop logging in Bialowieza Primeval Forest during the bird breeding
season. Any harvesting activity from 1st March till 31st August should be
halted. Bialowieza Forest is the last primeval forest in temperate Europe
and it deserves to have been protected long time ago as a National Park. It
is home to rare species such as the threetoad woodpecker, white-backed
woodpecker or pygmy owl. A ban on timber harvesting during the breeding
season is absolutely the minimum Polish authorities should do to preserve
this place. Moreover, logging during bird breeding season breaks EU
legislation (Birds Directive).
Yours sincerely,