Forest compensation in Flanders is a complicated business

This compensation is to take the form of compensation in kind, the payment of a forest maintenance contribution (financial compensation paid to the Forest Compensation Fund), or a combination of the two. There is no order of priority concerning this point.

Neither the Forest Decree nor any implementing decision relating to it states which species of tree may be used to provide compensation in kind. In other words, there is no legal provision stipulating that native deciduous wood must be compensated for with native deciduous wood. The Forest Decree and the implementing decision of 16 February 2001 do at least include the principle of equivalence. The area of forest provided by way of compensation must be equal in size to the area to be deforested. The Agency for Nature and Forests also has an internal guideline stating that “native species can only be compensated for with native species.” However this guideline is not available on the Agency's website.

According to the Agency for Nature and Forests, the poplar is a less valuable tree species which cannot compensate for the quality of an oak forest or any forest valued at the highest level. However Bos+, the organisation that works to conserve forests in Flanders, maintains that the poplar has a far greater ecological value than has long been assumed. After all, poplar forests have a high-quality forest ecosystem and rich biodiversity. They also have the advantage of providing a rapid economic yield.

At the moment there is a legal framework for assessing a proposal for forest compensation, but various factors influence the process. It is difficult to find a balance between the various interests. For Bos+, forest conservation is still a more important priority than forest compensation. If forest disappears, it is important to ensure that high-quality compensation is provided.