On Tuesday, 6 July, the government approved amendments prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) to the procedures for granting, administering, and monitoring state and EU support for the implementation of the measure "Investments in forest area expansion and improvement of forest viability", establishing the terms of the measure for the transition period (2021–2022).

The amendments stipulate that during the transition period, only the young stand thinning activity will continue under the measure "Investments in improving the resilience and ecological value of forest ecosystems". Consequently, pruning of young stands and stand replacement will not be supported during the transition period, as was previously the case.

The changes also affect the intensity of support based on the size of the forest property, establishing that the support intensity will be 50% for forest owners who own 200 hectares or more of forest, while for smaller forest properties, the support intensity will be 60 percent.

In view of these changes, the project selection criteria have also been clarified to ensure equal opportunities for receiving support for both small and large forest properties.

Applicants for support will also have the option to submit Forest Management Support Measure plans that were prepared before these rule amendments came into force – only the information included in the plans regarding the thinning of young stands will be taken into account.