Defying E.U. Court, Poland Is Cutting Trees in an Ancient Forest
Tomasz Wesolowski said that Meanwhile, we have three harvesters working in the forest
along with a team of loggers, which means that up to 1,000 trees are cut every day.
By JOANNA BERENDTJULY 31, 2017
WARSAW — Defying an order from the European Union’s highest court, the Polish government said on Monday
that it would continue logging in Bialowieza Forest, the last primeval forest in Europe and a habitat for hundreds of bison.
By doing so, Mr. Szyszko said, the authorities were conducting "an experiment." After several years, the ministry will compare the condition of both parts of the forest to determine "who is in the right" — Polish officials
and foresters, or the European Commission and dozens of scientists and environmental advocates, who have vehemently opposed the logging, saying it will damage the forest irreparably.
After months of debate between Warsaw and Brussels, the European Commission sued Poland before the top court of the European Union.
In a preliminary decision on Friday, the European Court of Justice ordered
that all logging in the forest, which is home to protected habitats and species, be immediately suspended.
