Association of Hungarian Private Forest Owners
„MEGOSZ” is the national Association of Private Forest Owners in Hungary representing individuals, local and regional organisations of private forest owners, forest co-operatives and forest management enterprises. MEGOSZ was established in 1994 to represent its Member’s rights and interests, it assists the enlargement and protection of private forest property by helping in managing their owns’.
The Association represents it’s members in general on every different type of forums relating to forest management (property rights, environmental regulation restrictions…etc) in Hungary and internationally.
The MEGOSZ formulates and articulates commonly agreed opinions of the private forest management sector, initiates legistlative work indepentendly or in cooperation with other private organisations and the public administration. Since 1999 our Association has been member of CEPF (Confederation of European Forest Owners) and e.g. represented itself in the Working Groups of the EU Forestry and Cork Advisory Committiee. We do transmit news on private forestry at national and international level to our members, who can also get to know more about the management practices in private forests of other European countries. The Association organises extension workshops for professionals, meetings, study tours together with educational organisations and international NGO’s in Hungary or abroad.
The Board of seven elected members as executive governing body is responsible for the work coordination. The president’s and the six vice-president’s work is assisted by a Secretary General, a project manager and a secretary. Currently MEGOSZ is represented in five administrative regions out of seven by its Regional Offices.
MEGOSZ for the Private Forestry
42% of the Hungarian Forests is privately owned. This more than 800.000 ha forest owned by nearly quarter of one Million owners, which means a very small average forest estate at the size of 3 hectars (2005). Some data about the accomplishments of the Hungarian private forest management in 2005:
53% of the cleanings, 42% of the forest regenerations were done in private forests. 39% of overall plantations were made by private owners with a success rate of 89%, which illustrates high professionalism. 96% of the afforestations got established on privately owned lands and it will reach soon 20.000 ha per year. Private forests without management by an evidenced / registered management unit and a valid forest management plan accounts for nearly 30% of all private forests (2005). One of our most important goals is to reduce this figure effectively. We have a decisive role in improving the consciousness and knowledge level of forest owners on forest management. During legistlative procedures on regulation MEGOSZ called the attention of decision makers to the special characteristics of Private Forestry and forwards in its proposals the Members’ experiences to them. In 2006, our role in the national plan setting for the EU programming period of 2007-2013 is to make the private forest owners beneficiaries of as much national and co-financed programs as it is possible.
With Hungary’s EU membership a new chapter has been opened in the history of the private forestry of the country. There will be new possibilities from 2007 in rural-, agricultural-, environmental- and regional development programs of the EU and in the four complex national program. The effective use of these programs for our own purpose is depending mostly on us but we need strongly cooperate with other fields of professions.
The network of medium and large-scale private forest management enterprises
Medium and large-scale private forest management enterpirses (so-called forestry integrators) are private businesses owning or renting at least 200 hectares of forests and providing technical advise of forest management for private forest owners on contract basis.
They are eligible for national financial support when licensed for these activities, targeting private forest management and forest owners. At current there are 65 such enterprises registered in Hungary which all of them are members of MEGOSZ. These companies are integrating some 30.000 forest owners and do performing the forest management on over 160.000 hectares of private forests (2005). Advisory services provided for small forest holders are free of charge and range from plan design to implementation of all sorts of technical activities. As licensed advisory companies they get national grants on area basis advised. The companies major occupation is of course business of forest management on commercial basis. Good example for the engagement of these private forest management companies is their work in so-called forests of unsettled-owner situation – practically „non-managed” forests – to safeguard common societal interests and bring them into their daily routines of forest management. Small holders can engage themselves into the network of these companies and can benefit from their services.
Since 2002-2003 when these enterprises got engaged into private forestry in Hungary the development of the privat forest management accelerated and today they form the backbone of the private forestry sector. They also engage into land management policy in general and step up jointly with land owners for reforms in development policy of rural areas when advising e.g. the National Land Found
Contact
President: András Mocz
1021 Budapest, Budakeszi út.91. (Forestry Information Center)
Tel: +36 1 391-42-90
Fax: +36 1 391-42-99
Email: megosz@megosz.hu