A collective exercise culminating in the drafting of a Regional Forest Strategy
The Assises de la Forêt exercise was initiated by the Minister for Forestry, Céline Tellier, 2 years ago, to establish, in consultation with all stakeholders in the forestry and wood industry, the strategic guidelines for ‘building tomorrow's forest together’.
The Assises began with a launch conference on 25 February 2022 to raise public awareness of the economic, social and environmental challenges facing the forest. From May 2022, a consultation phase began with immersive sessions in the forest aimed at raising awareness of the different approaches to forest management and strengthening links between stakeholders. This was followed by a process of meetings and discussions, first individually and then in groups, to generate a broad base of proposals for action, which were gradually consolidated to culminate in early 2023 in ‘74 resolutions for a multifunctional forest that respects its ecosystem.’
Read the 74 resolutions :
This unprecedented consultation, enriched by collective intelligence, respect and mutual listening, with a group in constant progress, led to resolutions that formed a solid basis for the drafting of a Walloon Forest Strategy by the DNF.
Following a desire shared by both the Minister for Forestry and the stakeholders involved in the consultation phase, the latter were once again asked to express their opinions on the preliminary draft of the strategy drawn up by the administration.
During this consultation phase, stakeholders were invited to give their individual opinions. These opinions were then consolidated in two separate stages: first at meetings within their respective circles, and then at meetings of the opinion committee, comprising 15 representatives appointed by their peers.
Once again, collective intelligence led to reformulations that were collectively validated by the 15 representatives on the advisory committee. The members of the Strategy Steering Committee, made up of representatives of the administration and various ministerial cabinets, then received and analysed the draft text of the Regional Forestry Strategy and agreed on specific clarifications to support the adoption of the Strategy.
The Regional Forestry Strategy was officially presented on Friday 24 May 2024 at a closing event organised at the Moulins de Beez (Namur).
Finally, the implementation of the Regional Forest Strategy and its support will be operationalised by a dedicated coordination team, supervised by the DNF Inspector General.
Read the Regional Forest Strategy :