Forest without barriers
The pilot programme of giving access to forest areas for people with physical disabilities has been launched by Gdańsk Forest District. During the implementation of the programme: Forest is for everyone many solutions will be developed enabling people with reduced physical ability to take advantage of such places that have been inaccessible for them so far.
“This programme is to become an exemplar” declares Jacek Szulc, the head of Gdańsk Forest District. “Thanks to these solutions, we will change and rebuild other similar places in our forest district, we dream that our ideas will be implemented in other places in Pomerania” says Szulc.
As for today the programme eliminating barriers is being launched near Gołębiewo countryside. “We’ve already started to eliminate forest barriers which don’t let people with physical disability enjoy forest with its all attractions. There is a well improved road leading to forest here, which we’ve made accessible for motor vehicles, moreover, we’ve prepared and marked quite clearly the parking places destined for people with disability” he emphasizes.
Foresters from Gdańsk prepare themselves for the next stage of work. They want to invite for cooperation other organizations with experience in eliminating obstacles that people with reduced physical capacity face every day. “Together we will be able to come up with solutions enabling Gołebiewo to become friendly to people with mobility problems. We will be grateful for all suggestions delivered by individual people. These solutions will be a basis for further similar projects in other parts of out forest district” explains the forest manager.
Development and adjustment of forest in Gołębiów to the needs of people with disability is a part of a bigger project involving the alteration of this place. Gdańsk Forest District in cooperation with Tricity Landscape Park will implement the project: “Protection of Tricity forests’ environmental components through concentrating tourist traffic in selected location- Gołębiewo”
The project is co-financed by Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Gdańsk. Within the framework of this project foresters create new parking places, plant trees and fruit shrubs of native species which in the future will become a food base for animals. There will be also informative boards describing species that one can find in this area. Foresters will also arrange new benches and tables in the nearby area’
