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A new Forest Act saw the light of day, introducing the promo-
tion of ‘good and multifunctional forestry’ as the primary
objective. Other new regulatory mechanisms paved the way for a
reinforcement of both private and public afforestation, including
the provision of new and additional financial resources as well as
new instruments for spatial planning.
The key principle governing afforestation in the new era of 1989
was the division of the country into three key categories of land:
Category 1
constituted areas, where afforestation should be given
the highest priority. State afforestation was primarily allocated
into this category and private landowners could receive grants for
afforestation 50 per cent higher than the rates available in areas of
category 2.
Category 2
constituted areas where private afforestation would
be encouraged with a standard rate public grant. However, in case
of shortage of grants (if demand exceeded available funds), priority
would be given to areas in category 1.
Category 3
constituted areas where afforestation would not be
allowed at all (unless in rare and exceptional cases and only after
concrete exemption). This could be areas with particular scenic
beauty or high conservation value nature sites.
It was established that the spatial planning for afforestation should
be based on a list of specified criteria aiming to ensure that the new
forest would be truly multifunctional. Thus, category 1 areas should
be allocated in particular where afforestation would promote one
or more of the following functions: 1) Recreational opportunities
for citizens, in particular in larger cities; 2) Groundwater protec-
tion, in particular sensitive resources suitable for drinking water; 3)
Ecological connectivity, aiming to enrich biological diversity and
reduce impacts of fragmentation.
The designation of the areas followed the normal Danish proce-
dures for spatial planning, implying broad public consultation
before final designation.
At the same time, in 1989, the Government formulated
a long-term goal for afforestation in Denmark, namely ‘to
double the forest cover in the course of a tree generation’
(from 11-12 per cent in 1989). Later, in the National
Forest Programme of 2001, it was formulated as a goal to
‘obtain approximately 20-25 per cent coverage of forest
landscapes during a period of 80-100 years’.
In line with the objectives of multifunctional
forestry, incentives were provided for a high share of
domestic broadleaved trees in the new grant schemes
for afforestation. This was in order to enhance the
recreational value and improve both biological diver-
sity and groundwater protection, still maintaining a
long-term potential for high-value timber production.
As a result, the vast majority of new forests became
dominated by domestic broadleaves, a radical shift
compared to the former afforestation, which had been
dominated by various fast-growing exotic conifers.
Strategy for Sustainable Forest Management
In 1994, following the ‘Forest Principles’ adopted
at UNCED in Rio 1992, and further building on the
outcomes of the pan-European ministerial collabora-
tion on forests (nowadays ‘Forest Europe’) as well as
other international commitments, the Danish govern-
ment developed a national Strategy for Sustainable
Forest Management.
The backbone of the strategy was the identification of
18 sub-themes (or criteria) relevant for promoting SFM
as outlined in relevant international commitments and
recommendations. It was underpinned by a number of
proposals for action working in support thereof in a
Danish context.
In early May, when the beech bursts into leaf, the character of the forest changes
dramatically. Here, a boy is collecting fresh beech leaves for his mother on Mothers’ Day
Former coppice forest attacked by Honey mushroom (
Armillaria
mellea
), by some seen as a pest in the forest, but by some mushroom
collectors seen as a delicate contribution to the mushroom basket
Image: ©Bert Wiklund
Image: ©Bert Wiklund