In 1897, the National Assembly passed a third forest law to improve the 1889 law. This law did not change ownership of forests, but it reorganized the forestry service and introduced new measures for forest protection, registration, and rational use of parish forests.
In 1904, a fourth law was enacted. This law continued the reform program and clarified forest ownership and commons using a simple legal procedure. It also resolved long-standing disputes about forest easements dating from the war of independence. Additionally, it set a practical plan for forest management and exploitation Private Tours Bulgaria.
Overall, these frequent changes in forest laws aimed to ensure the greatest benefit from forests while protecting them for the future.
Forest Area and Ownership
The total forest area of Bulgaria is 3,041,324 hectares. It can be classified as follows:
State forests: 902,816.6 hectares
Parish forests: 1,565,242 hectares
Private forests: 519,636.9 hectares
Forests of schools, churches, mosques, and religious institutions: 53,628.9 hectares
Total: 3,041,324.4 hectares
This means that one-third of the forests belong to the State, half to parishes, and the remaining one-sixth to private individuals or religious communities.
Distribution of Forests
State forests are mostly in the mountainous regions of Stara-Planina, Rhodopes, and Rilo, numbering 438 forests.
Parish forests are mainly in the south and west, with a total of 2,966 forests.
Private forests are small and scattered, mostly in the plains, as Bulgaria has few large landowners.
Bulgaria Compared to Other Countries
Forests cover 30% of Bulgaria’s total area, making it rich in woodland compared to other European countries:
More forest than: Hungary, Slavonia, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain, France, Greece, Portugal
Less forest than Austria, Sweden, Norway
This shows that Bulgaria has significant forest resources, which are vital for the country’s economy, environment, and forestry development.