Poland launches community forests to curb logging near cities
Poland has designated 13,000 hectares around Wrocław as its first "community forest", restricting timber harvesting in a move that signals a broader shift in the country's management of natural resources despite ongoing political opposition.
Poland has inaugurated its first "community forest" around Wrocław, placing 13,000 hectares of land under a new management regime that restricts timber harvesting. The climate and environment ministry plans to establish ten more such zones around major urban centres, including Warsaw, Kraków and Poznań.
"This is a historic moment and the beginning of a new approach to forest protection – with residents in mind first and foremost," said climate and environment minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska. The designated area will be split into three zones, with the largest covering over 8,000 hectares dedicated to recreational "social forests" managed for public wellbeing.
"Community forests are places where residents can relax, play sports and simply spend time close to nature," Hennig-Kloska added. "At the same time, they are crucial to our security and quality of life: they retain water, regulate the climate, purify the air and protect the soil."
The policy is a direct effort by the current government to deliver on its late-2023 pledge to curtail commercial logging. By prioritising what the ministry calls "maximising the forest’s social functions", the state forestry agency is effectively withdrawing land near a major economic hub from industrial timber production.
This represents a decisive break from the previous Law and Justice (PiS) administration, which faced severe criticism for significantly increasing logging volumes, particularly in the ecologically sensitive Białowieża Forest.
However, the government's broader environmental and land-use agenda continues to face institutional hurdles. In November 2025, PiS-aligned President Karol Nawrocki vetoed legislation to create Poland's first new national park in over two decades.
Nawrocki argued the national park would "block the economic development of the region" and threaten national security. This veto underscores a deep political divide in Poland over whether state-owned woodland should be leveraged for economic output or protected for conservation.
Consultations are currently underway for the remaining ten urban centres, with Kielce and Bielsko-Biała reported to be next in line. Yet, the practical distinction of the new designation remains unclear, as the hiking and cycling paths promised for these zones already exist in many standard Polish forests.
