Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,

Environment and Water Management

International Forest Policy Division

Marxergasse 2

A-1030 Vienna Vienna, 15. July 2000

for the

Ingwald GSCHWANDTL and Günter WALKNER

The following report provides a general overview on recent developments of the Austrian forestry situation, with a special focus on four sections:

I. Forest policy, including developments for national forests programme (nfp)

II. Forest legal framework

III. Forest institutions

IV. Other developments

National Forest Programmes, as defined by the IPF, are seen as a significant vehicle for the guiding forest related policies, in particular the implementation of IPF/IFF Proposals for Actions at the national and sub national level. Austria attaches great importance to putting agreed Proposals for Actions into practise. The implementation process is ongoing. As a tool to support the implementation of the IPF/IFF Proposals for Actions, Austria has started to establish a national report, consisting of the following parts:

• Elaboration of the "Austrian Forest Policy Guidelines"
• Identification of IPF/IFF Proposals for Actions most relevant for the Austrian forest policy (Grouping the Proposals around issues of national importance)
• Analysis of the current degree of implementation, development of a framework for future reporting; participation and awareness building as main elements of the assessment, integration and internalisation of the Proposals into national frameworks

Austria attaches importance to the international and regional co-operation regarding forest policy developments and has therefor being committed to play an active role notably on the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe. Austria is hosting the Liaison Unit of this important Pan-European Forest Process and forming the General Co- ordinating Committee jointly with Portugal, Poland and Norway.

As far as Biodiversity is concerned Austria’s forest policy has tailored "green" silvicultural principles to the aims of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The National Forest Inventory has integrated additional ecological Indicators with relevance to Biodiversity.

Austria is establishing a network of natural forest reserves on the base of voluntary management agreements. The network aims at covering all representative types of forests ecosystems in Austria. The Austrian Natural Forest Reserve Network is left untended for the purpose of preserving biological variety, permitting research and instruction and a close relation with nature.

The Programme for Maintaining the Genetic Variety of Forest Trees is a concept of the Federal Forest Test Institute and considers rare indigenous tree species.

In co-operation with WWF the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management is co-financing a programme to preserve rare and endangered tree- and shrub-species.

Due to the natural conditions of Austria adequate policy for the sustainable management of mountain forests is of central importance and subject for international co-operation.

Following the first two International Workshops on Mountain Forests in Europe, Austria has hosted the 3^rd International Workshop "The Sustainable Future of Mountain Forests in Europe" in Igls/Tyrol, from 3^rd to 5^th May 2000. The Conclusions and Recommendations from the discussions are an important basis for further activities, especially with a view to the "International Year of Mountains 2002".

The framework for support of forestry activities has been adapted to the EU-Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/99, which reorganizes the common agricultural policy of the EU. Based on the objectives on rural development and in the EU Forest Strategy and considering the Resolutions of the Ministerial Conferences for the Protection of Forests in Europe, Austria defined nine forest development objectives:

1. Integration of forestry into the maintenance and the sustainable development of rural areas
2. Maintenance, development and sustainable management of Austria’s forests
3. Maintenance and sustainable development of the multifunctionality of Austria’s forests, especially in view of their economic, ecological and social functions
4. Sustainable safeguarding and improvement of the structure of rural areas, above of all employment opportunities, income, the viability of agricultural and forestry holdings, and the environment
5. Grants for forests and areas owned by private persons or their associations and by municipalities or their associations
6. Promotion of the use of timber and non-wood products from sustainably managed forests in line with the rules of the free market as well as the promotion of forestry services benefiting the public
7. Improvement of the processing and marketing conditions for forestry products as well as of their diversification
8. Increasing awareness of the important role of sustainable forest management in the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity and of the living conditions of animals and plants as one of the measures against climate change
9. Promotion of timber and other products as environmentally-friendly and renewable resources

In order to attain these development goals, modules of measures were developed at the national level after consultation with Austria’s Federal Provinces and in consideration of forestry-related interest groups (Chamber of Agriculture and forest owners association) that are to be implemented in the relevant projects.

The following list contains a brief outline of the modules of measures to promote forestry:

• Conservation and sustainable enhancement of forests with particularly protective and beneficial functions through nature-conforming forest tending and improvement of the forest structure
• Maintenance and improvement of the economic and ecological values of Austria’s forests through nature-conforming forest management and adequate local afforestation with the selection and composition of tree species being close to the prevailing natural forest community
• Maintenance and improvement of the social value of forests by increasing their recreational function and maintaining rare and culturally and ecologically valuable management methods
• Maintenance and enhancement of the ecological stability of forests in the course in the course of regional projects to safeguard the protective and ecological forest functions and taking into account of conditions characteristic of the region
• Processing and marketing of timber and biomass
• Innovation and public information on forest education and forestry schools

In order to implement the legislation of the EU (Fauna Flora Habitat Directive 92/43/EWG and the Bird Directive 79/409/EWG) 16 % of the Austrian landscape is nominated for the EU-Network "Natura 2000".

Most of the State Laws on Nature Conservation are adapted to the EU-Regulations and some of the Federal States are establishing management plans for nominated sites at the field level. The Austrian Forest Law (Forstgesetz 1975 idgF), contains specific regulations stipulating that forest use must ensure that the influence and productive capacity of forests be maintained on sustainable basis and provides the basis to fulfil the requirements of Natura 2000.

For an effective vertical and horizontal co-ordination and participatory mechanism including conflict-resolution schemes, the Federal Ministry has established the "Natura 2000-Platform".

Since February 2000 Austria has a new Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management. The former Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Environment have been merged.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management is comprehensively responsible for all aspects of forest issues and has established a Contact Platform on International Forest Policy Issues, involving all relevant major groups, stakeholders and NGO´s.

Forest policy is more and more challenged to be a part of cross-sectoral policies, especially environment policy.

The National Biodiversity Commission is composed of representatives from administrative departments (Federal Ministries and Provincial authorities), unions and management, science and NGO´s. The Austrian Implementation Strategy for the Convention on Biological Diversity, in compliance with Article 6 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, will implement the letter of the Convention. An important ongoing task of the National Biodiversity Commission is to evaluate, improve and update the strategy based on the dynamic, evolutionary progress in this field.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management is elaborating the Austrian Climate Strategy for the implementation of the Kyoto-Protocol.

As a private initiative the forestry and the forest industry sector have decided to join the Pan-European-Forest-Certification- Initiative (PEFC). The PEFC system well suits the forest ownership structure in Austria, with 80 % private owned land and a majority of small lots owners. The Austrian scheme has been established, it is expected to have Austrian PEFC certified timber by the end of this year.