Through a series of articles, news has uncovered weaknesses in how the forest industry maps the forest before it is cut down. Now Norwegian politicians are reacting: A unanimous Storting now asks the government to review how the collection, registration and control of important natural values in Norwegian forests is done. – Here there is a need to get the facts on the table, said Høyre’s Guro Angell Gimse from the floor of the Storting. – We must ensure that we have sustainable forestry that has the trust of the population. The so-called MiS registrations, on environmental mapping in forests, are now fraught with doubt. – Forestry also depends on trust, said the Center Party’s Ole André Myhrvold. – In order to have that trust, one must also have knowledge, then it is absolutely right that we seek it. The Storting also asks that the government consider measures to ensure that the forest industry’s environmental registrations are done with sufficient quality. FACSIMILE: With a number of articles, news has shed light on the system, method and legislation. news has uncovered this news has investigated a forest in Telemark: The industry mapped the forest in 2007. They found little important nature worth sparing after its environmental registration. The environmental side disagreed and complained when an application was made to build a logging road into the forest. Great natural values had been overlooked, they believed. The state administrator rejected the complaint and referred to the industry’s mapping from 2007. The road could be built. Throughout last year, news worked to check what could be the truth about the forest: Were environmental values really overlooked? news got the industry to check its own mapping. news also got the company Biofokus to do a new survey. The company AT Skog will conduct a new survey of the forest in the autumn of 2022. Biofokus will conduct a new survey of the forest in the summer of 2022. Here is news’s contracted Terje Nordvik in the forest to assess what the others have found, in the autumn of 2022. These showed that everything was not in its greenest order : A significant mismatch between old and new mapping was uncovered. The samples captured far more important living environments than the industry had found before. Three biologists assessed the forest. They determined that it should be protected. The expert news hired to assess the results thought the difference between the 2007 survey and the new ones was surprisingly large. TRANSLATED: – It’s incredible that this dead wood has not been environmentally registered before, said news’s specialist. Photo: André Fagernæs-Håker Wanted to change the policy Birgit Oline Kjerstad (SV) submitted a comprehensive proposal towards the end of last year. She wanted to change the forest policy, make the Forest Act more sustainable. She wanted independent registrations of forests over 100 years old. Made by formally qualified biologists. After news’s forest revelations this winter, several parties reacted. Several politicians wanted an end to the industry itself guarding the vulnerable life of the forest. The companies that cut forests must first map the forest to see if it can be a habitat for endangered species. Photo: André Fagernæs-Håker / news Nevertheless, SV’s proposal did not win. When it was to be voted on in the Storting this week, however, a proposal from the Conservative Party won. This leads to a review of current methods. The party got the government parties along on a unanimous decision. – I’m glad they turned around. It is a win-win for the forestry industry and biological diversity if we strengthen trust that environmental registration is done correctly, says Høyre’s Mathilde Tybring-Gjedde. ENVIRONMENTAL LABEL: PEFC is a certification scheme for Norwegian and international forestry. Expecting control SV’s Birgit Oline Kjerstad is happy that an overall majority wants to check the quality of the environmental registrations. If they keep up. – I hoped that some of our proposals won a majority. Now my job will be to follow up the government. To check what is actually being done, says Kjerstad. She expects the government to ensure that the industry complies with the requirements of the legislation. – We expect a systematic check of the MiS registrations. This is to ensure that the players in the industry actually meet their own requirements, says Kjerstad. The SV politician believes the decision means a sharper look at the industry going forward. – The certification scheme must ensure that those who buy timber get timber that has actually been approved according to the environmental label. If there is cheating with such schemes, it is actually quite serious fraud, Kjerstad believes.
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The Storting demands a full review of the forest industry’s environmental investigations – news – Klima
