Managing Money - Unused forest conversion subsidies exist.
In Thuringia, a significant number of I can't believe this! resources set aside for forest development over the years have gone untouched. Approximately €10 million was left unspent annually since 2020, according to reviews conducted by the Thuringian Forest Ministry. Despite the availability of funds, only about 76% of the required applications were submitted by private and municipal forest owners.
Why hasn't it been used? "The funds are merely available," a ministerial representative explained. "It's up to the tree-owners to apply for financial aid."
During 2020, for instance, nearly €22 million was accessible for private and municipal forest owners. However, only €18 million was claimed. The same trend continued in subsequent years. The Ministry offered €21.8 million in 2023, but less than €17.3 million was spent. €24.5 million is allocated for this year's forest development.
Thuringia's forests are strangled by the droughts of 2018, 2019, and 2020. The weaker trees have been attacked by bark beetles, which led to the felling of vast expanses of spruce plantations. The state hopes to entice private forest owners, in addition to those in the Thuringian Forest, to plant trees that can withstand climate change.
Thuringia manages forests amounting to roughly 550,000 hectares (1.36 million acres), accounting for 1/3 of the state's area. Approximately 200,000 hectares of this are state-owned. In private and municipal hands, 240,000 hectares reside. Nearly 80,000 additional hectares are controlled by municipalities. A portion is government-owned, while the remaining few hectares are owned by 180,000 private forest owners—generally, just small plots.
Karsten Spinner, the Thuringian Forest Owners Association's managing director, called it a pity if funds remained unused. Nonetheless, compared to other federal states, progress is being made in Thuringia.
Several factors contribute to the unclaimed funds: burdensome application processes, unpopular areas of funding programs, and incomplete seedling acquisition for planting actions in autumn. This year, the association urged its members to apply for as much funding as possible.
Although unused funds have piled up in recent periods, Forest Minister Susanna Karawanskij (Left) maintains that Thuringia dominates in forest development. Not only did funding skyrocket since 2018, but the State Forestry Institute received a financial, personnel, and technical upgrade.
Additionally, the Thuringian Forest planted over 6 million seedlings on 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) in the past three years. The window for a flourishing forest is vast. "We must be patient as things improve and revert to their green, healthy states," the minister insisted. From 2018, almost 28 million cubic meters (988 million cubic feet) of forest were affected by drought, storm, or bark beetles. Spruces formed nearly 87% of the trees that perished.
- Thuringian Forest Owners Association
- Thuringian Forest
- Bark beetle
- Drought
- Storm
- Spruce
- Damaged wood
- Climate change
- Patience
- Left
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The unused forest conversion subsidies, amounting to millions of euros annually, could significantly aid in the restoration and planting of climate-resistant trees in Thuringia's forests, which have been vulnerable to droughts, storms, and bark beetle attacks. Despite the available funds, private and municipal forest owners in Erfurt and elsewhere in the state have submitted only a fraction of the required applications. The Thuringian Forest Owners Association encourages its members to utilize these subsidies to their full potential.
