The State Forests referenced TVN24’s material about itself. The company claims that the channel provided false information.
LP assured that they “do not export any timber at all”. They also appealed to the channel not to “misinform” the public.
The State Forests company said in a special statement that it does not export or send timber to China.
Staatsbosbeheer writes, among other things: about “false or manipulated information from TVN24”.
Full text of the statement:
Contrary to the revelations of TVN24, the Forestry Commission does not export any wood at all, and the ‘expert’ quoted by TV makes no distinction between kilograms and tons, or the export of unprocessed wood and the export of wood products, the dynamic growth of which shows the excellent condition and the success of Polish producers. The State Forests denies the information from TVN24 and calls on television not to use the company in its disinformation activities to promote politicians in the election campaign.
It is not true that the National Forests export wood, much less that they send it to China. Forests sell the obtained raw material in Poland through a special sales system that advertises to recipients who process wood in our country. The timber harvest is based on ten-year plans approved by the ministry and drawn up by experts and scientists in consultation with local communities. Such plans have been in the making for decades, and many of those still in place were created during the current opposition’s rule. These plans do not change during their term and are not dependent on current demand, timber prices on the markets or the political situation.
The sales system has also been in use for many years, the rules are transparent and available to every consumer.
The increase in timber exports, which is mainly observed in Polish ports, is largely due to increased transhipment of timber from countries other than Poland. This proves the success and development of Polish ports, which offer attractive prices and transshipment conditions to foreign contractors.
Some of the wood is exported by Polish companies that buy Polish raw materials from the State Forests and sell them abroad. Foresters have no influence on this and cannot ban their export, as this would conflict with EU regulations that guarantee free trade.
Staatsbosbeheer supports the introduction by Poland, in consultation with the European Union, of a ban or restriction on the export of unprocessed wood from Polish forests.
Staatsbosbeheer also points out that the ‘expert’ cited by television TVN24 as an argument for the increase in timber exports ‘during the ruling coalition’ provides data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, which actually includes the total exports in the first place . of wood and wood products, and moreover the “expert” overestimated these sizes ten times.
Of the ‘expert”s claimed exports of 99 million tonnes per year for 2022 – in fact 9.9 million tonnes – exports of unprocessed wood amounted to only about 3 tonnes, with the remainder being wood products. The expert and journalists of TVN24 not only confuse kilograms with tons, but also make no distinction in the statistics between a tree trunk of 100 kilograms and, for example, a wardrobe of 100 kilograms with only wooden doors.
The Forestry Commission emphasizes that the increase in exports of wood products is beneficial for the state, as it proves the development of the timber industry and the increased competitiveness of Polish producers in foreign markets.
In the opinion of Staatsbosbeheer, this type of false or manipulated information from TVN24 is deliberately published to discredit the company and is part of the election campaign of politicians. Staatsbosbeheer strongly protests against this and calls on reliable media not to repeat untruths.
mly/lasy.gov.pl
Source: wPolityce