The change to the forest system is coming in Koprivshtitsa as well, announced the MP Alexander Dunchev. He reported that 25 m3 of illegal beech logs had been confiscated by employees of the Sofia Regional Forestry Directorate. They were transported from a private forest above Koprivshtitsa to a wood warehouse in Etropole. Both the driver of the truck and the owner of the warehouse took administrative acts for a bunch of violations. According to him, two courses with one ticket were made, there was no GPS in the vehicle, the thefts in the electronic diary of the warehouse were covered up and there were others.
The MP asked via his Facebook post:
„Well, did you catch only 25 cubic meters?“ They cut down the whole forest in the area, and you brag about a truck…“
According to him, a truck would not have been caught if:
- If there were no people who care about the forest in Koprivshtitsa and Etropole! Last year, during inspections with colleagues from the Executive Forest Agency (EFA), we caught serious violations in the area – and it is curious whether there are also violations in the forest where the illegal beeches come from. Hopefully, the Regional Directorate of Forests /RDG/ will thoroughly inspect the forest, the warehouse and all the clearings of the logging company, which is a monopolist in the region.
- If there were no brave and respectable inspectors to feint the umbrella on the local schemers, who have been guarding them for years because of their connection to the previous ruling party.
- If there was no video surveillance of the warehouse, as well as the photo register of the Southwestern State Enterprise and the Executive Forest Agency, thanks to which it was established that the afternoon course was made with the transport ticket of the morning course. The photos clearly show that the second-year truck detained in the warehouse was loaded with logs (the photo marked „Illegal!“ From the warehouse), which differs significantly from the logs on the truck from the first morning course (the 2 photos marked „Legal!”). This is the ticket with the photos from the morning course.
Alexander Dunchev claims that in order to stop illegal logging and forest theft, only 3 simple steps are needed:
- Depoliticization of the forest system by interrupting the possibility for party functionaries to decide who and how manages the forests.
- To stop the destruction of small and medium-sized companies by monopolists, as in Koprivshtitsa, through measures for maximum competition in public forests.
- Full transparency – further development of public control systems in forests (registers, maps, etc.).
