Estonia Weighs Thinning and Controlled Burns in Plan to Restore Dry Forests by 2032

Dry forests in Estonia and across Europe are in poor condition, often too uniform in age or lacking the structural diversity needed by many species. In response, Estonia is developing a national plan to restore these vulnerable habitats, more than 112,000 hectares (277,000 acres) of which were listed in the Estonian Natura 2000 habitats last year, the Baltic News Network reported (7-11-25).

These are forests with minimal anthropogenic load, and in Estonia they are overgrown dunes, old natural forests and spruce forests with rich ground cover.

“They’re either too uniform in age or have impoverished structure. The problem is that there are certain species and species groups that need forests with diverse structures for their life and activities, coarse woody debris, dead trees, and so on. These species groups are particularly vulnerable here because they lack sufficient habitat. On a broader scale, diverse forests are also more resistant to disease and better able to adapt to climate change,” said Taavi Tattar, Head of the Nature Conservation Planning Department at the Estonian Environmental Service.

There is an agreement at the European Union level to restore forests to an acceptable state, and Estonia is also developing its own action plan. Guidelines, which must be implemented by 2030, will be available for public consultation in the fall. It is necessary to map and implement activities aimed at restoration in 9,000 hectares (22,000 acres) of dry forests. The main question now is how much and where human intervention in natural processes is necessary.

Tattar said that perhaps the best help would be to simply let the forests be, nature and time will heal everything. The storms or other events, they will create fallen wood.

However, there are several ways that people can speed up the processes in nature. For example, by cutting down trees of different diameters and leaving them in the forest, where they will decompose naturally. Another option is controlled burning, restoring the original state.

Estonia plans invest 4.2 million euros in dry forest restoration and preservation between 2025 and 2032.