The study investigates and describes the legislation and implementation of incentives in the Belgian forestry in the past, the present and the future. Shortcomings of the system are identified and new proposals designed.
The incentive system is based upon multiple criteria, such as forest owner, site quality, forest profitability and requirements of the public. It intends to maintain the forest and to favour a more sustainable forest management, based on biodiversity and naturalness.
Public forests have already been highly subsidized for a long time. Incentives for private forests, however, are rather of recent date.
The former national legislation has been replaced lately by regional decrees and orders. Specific incentives are presently available for private forest owners in Wallonia for forest regeneration with hardwoods and for first thinnings. In Flanders, on the contrary, the private forests owners can obtain subsidies for (r)eafforestations, accessibility for the public and for forest grouping.
Some problems are still open or have arisen recently, e.g. a regulation for death duties, public forests in Flanders and afforestation of abandoned agricultural land.
Key words: forest incentives, Belgium, forest legislation.
Correspondence: Noël Lust, Laboratory of Forestry, University of Ghent, Geraardsbergse Steenweg, 267, B9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
Telefax: +32-9-2525466
E-mail: noel.lust@rug.ac.be