Moving toward coordinated management of timber and other resource uses in Hungarian forests

Abstract

This paper presents the relationships and development of forestry and wildlife management in Hungary during the past 70 years. Current problems of coordination are rooted in the cardinal principle of Hungarian forestry that defines the purpose of forest management as "sustainable and increasing wood production", and regards recreational, educational, and wildlife management as secondary uses. Forestry and game management share several common elements such as educational and scientific underpinnings, direction and regulation, and planning systems. Nonetheless, poor coordination and profit-driven management have resulted in serious resource conflicts associated with extensive clearcutting, habitat destruction, diminished diversity in tree plantations, game damage to reforestation efforts, and other problems. Scientific and professional cooperation are necessary to create an ecologically-sound basis to coordinate resource uses and to harmonize the objectives of timber production, nature protection, and wildlife management in Hungarian forests.