From local concerns to joint solutions: co-creating the future of Tuchola’s forests
For people living next to the Polish forests of Tuchola, the forest is part of everyday life. It is a place for walking, recreation and connecting with nature – but it also provides shade, reduces noise and wind, and contributes to the quality of the local environment. With a bypass planned near one residential neighbourhood, these functions have become even more important to local residents.
In March 2026, residents approached the Tuchola Forest District with a clear request: they wanted the forest directly adjacent to their homes to be recognised as a “social forest” and managed in a way that would preserve its recreational and protective functions. In particular, they asked for partial cutting instead of clear-cutting.
The request came at a time when the Tuchola Forest District was establishing a Local Cooperation Team to strengthen dialogue between those involved in, managing and using the surrounding forests. The Team brings together a diverse group of stakeholders: representatives from government administration and local authorities, the State Forests, national and landscape parks, primary and secondary schools, post-secondary and forestry education institutions, a university of life sciences, and civil society.
This broad group creates a space where different perspectives and types of knowledge can meet – from professional forest management and nature conservation to education, local government and the everyday experience of people living next to the forest.
From dialogue to practical solutions
At the Team’s first meeting on 11 March 2026, participants agreed that informing the public about planned operations, consulting local communities and jointly exploring solutions can help build trust and address the different expectations placed on forests.
The residents’ request was subsequently discussed at the Team’s meeting on 23 March. Together, participants identified forest areas that were particularly important to local residents and discussed possible management approaches. One outcome was a recommendation to reclassify around 10 hectares of forest immediately adjacent to residential areas from commercial timber stands to forests serving a social function – so-called “social forests”.
The dialogue then moved from the meeting room into the forest itself
During an on-site meeting in May, residents whose properties border the forest met with representatives of the Tuchola Forest District to discuss the planned operations. The participants looked at the area together and discussed the differences between clear-cutting and partial cutting. The Forest District had already decided to replace clear-cutting with partial cutting in the relevant area, while also explaining the safety requirements that meant mature trees within approximately 15 metres of private properties would still need to be removed.
The planned bypass added another layer of complexity. While trees in the southern part of the area will need to be removed because of the road construction, the remaining forest can continue to play an important protective role for nearby residents. The discussion therefore focused not only on which trees would be removed, but also on how the forest could continue to provide social and protective functions afterwards.
Together, the participants agreed on a set of practical principles for future management. These include:
- maintaining a 15-metre safety strip along residential boundaries, with the possibility of reducing it to 10 metres in specific cases;
- protecting seedlings and undergrowth during forestry operations;
- using existing trails for timber extraction;
- carrying out partial cutting in a way that maintains the forest’s protective function against noise from the planned bypass;
- creating an ecotone zone along residential plots, with residents involved in selecting and planting suitable species;
- avoiding harvesting, extraction and soil preparation during designated quiet hours; and
- applying the same principles to subsequent management operations, subject to their inclusion in the forest management plan for the coming decade.
Integrating different perspectives on the forest
The experience in Tuchola shows how stakeholder dialogue can translate different perspectives into practical forest management solutions. Residents bring their everyday experience of the forest and its importance for their quality of life. Forest managers contribute knowledge about silviculture, safety and sustainable management, while local authorities, protected-area managers, educational institutions and civil society bring additional perspectives on the wider social and environmental role of the forest.
The process does not remove the trade-offs between different forest functions. Instead, it provides a space to discuss them openly and explore how ecological, social and economic objectives can be considered together.
For TRANSFORMIT, this is an important part of Integrative Forest Management in practice: bringing different stakeholders into the process, combining different forms of knowledge and working together to adapt forest management to changing local needs and conditions.
The Tuchola experience also highlights the value of building dialogue before decisions are made – creating opportunities for stakeholders not only to respond to forest management, but to help shape solutions for the future.