Another unlawful blockade in Białowieża Forest
On the last day of August a group of people illegally blocked a car exporting wood from the area of Hajnówka Forest District. Despite blockade, the wood reached its destination and was deliver to the recipient.
The removed wood has been cut in division 386 D, along a nordic walking route where new edition of Polish nationwide mass sports event for Nordic Walking Polish Cup will be held next week. According to current regulations we are obliged to ensure safety of the people staying in the forest. Moreover, the decisions of the European Court’s vice president allow us, and even require from us acting in case of any threat to human life and health. As a result, the trees posing threat to safety along the competition route were removed. Owing to this, almost 1000 participants (we estimate the number of participants at this level, 780 people are already registered and the registration is on for a week) and as many as double spectators, families of the participants and other accompanying persons from entire Poland for the sixth time already will be able to cross the walking nording trail safely.
Activists in an uncompromising manner ignore the fact that trees killed by spruce bark beetle along one of the most frequently visited recreational trails in the Białowieża Forest actually create safety hazard for people. For the ones who will arrive here to participate in the event that has been promoting region for six years.
In addition, a tragedy could have happened during the unlawful stop of a vehicle transporting timber - a carefree entry under the wheels of a car loaded with several tonnes of wood was a conscious exposure to death. The driver himself said that although the car was technically functional, one could never be certain that the hydraulic pads that cover the ground clearance would not collapse. Under such burden, there is no chance that anyone will get out of this alive.
Several times were the activists informed about the danger. They were climbing up the load of wood, at the same time ignoring warnings and requests to step aside from the machine. Once again they put themselves and other people in danger, as the wood could slide at any moment. In such cases a broken or crushed limb is not the worst that could have happened.
We would like to remind that the wood that was being removed from the forest yesterday was harvested legally on the basis of the applicable legislation. The removal of timber also took place in accordance with the law.
However, it was the group of activists who behaved unlawfully, and knowingly exposed the health and life of their and those involved in the incident, by blocking legal timber transport. The activists' actions have already gone far beyond the conflict of foresters vs. activists; in a pushy manner they affect other spheres of social life in the region.
To make things worse, the whole group of activists went through the reforestation area, breaking not only Art. 26 of the Forest Act, but also showing extreme lack of ecological and natural awareness. In this very plantation, which was artificially established according to the principles of silviculture, there is also natural renewal. The ban on entering reforestation areas, which was introduced by the Forest Act, results, among other things, from the self-seeding reinforcement. Crossing such area by a group of thirty activists certainly caused harm to young trees.
