Forestry Projects (EU-MLUK-Forst-RL)

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Who is funded?

This program supports natural and legal persons, including forestry associations, who own forest areas in Brandenburg and Berlin. Additionally, providers of advisory services listed with the State Office for Rural Development, Agriculture and Land Reorganization (LELF) are eligible to apply. The funding aims to support sustainable forest management, biodiversity, and the protection and preservation of the cultural landscape.

What is funded?

The program promotes a range of measures for sustainable forestry. These include the conversion to near-natural forest management through forest conversion and forest maintenance, the use of advisory services for forest owners, and measures to prevent forest damage and improve forest fire protection. Certain measures, such as protection against game by fences for forest owners with their own hunting ground or reforestation of the same species to maintain the stand structure, are excluded from funding.

Type and Extent of Funding

Financial support is provided in the form of grants, either based on fixed amounts or as pro-rata financing. The amount of funding depends on the type and scope of the measure, with annual capping limits set per beneficiary. For each measure, there are specific maximum amounts per unit or project.

Conditions and Requirements

For successful funding, applicants must meet a series of conditions and requirements, ranging from ownership and site conditions to compliance with EU state aid rules and environmental standards. A crucial prerequisite is that projects must not have started before the application. In addition, certain planning documents such as forest management plans must be submitted.

Application Procedure

The application procedure requires the written submission of complete and formally prescribed applications by February 15 of the respective fiscal year. Large enterprises must also present a counterfactual scenario. Project selection is competitive based on defined criteria and a scoring system by the Brandenburg State Forestry Enterprise. Disbursement applications must be submitted by October 31 at the latest.

Legal Basis

The funding of forestry projects in Brandenburg and Berlin is based on a specific directive of the Ministry for Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection of the State of Brandenburg. This directive is deeply embedded in European and national legal frameworks, particularly in regulations of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the framework plan of the Joint Task "Improvement of Agricultural Structure and Coastal Protection" (GAK). It constitutes the legal basis for granting subsidies for the preservation of the cultural landscape and sustainable forest management.