We use many topics: pines are bad and eucalyptus are worse, beech trees and oak trees are good, we have to plant trees, we have to fight fires. But there are hardly any articles or experts dealing with the challenge of forests. The reports that make up the institutions merely collect some data (areas, species, stems, plantations, fires…) or simply point to generalities (soil protection, combining production with protection, promoting jobs…).

The most widespread and predominant tree species in our mountains is undoubtedly the insignis pine, the pine of Monterrey (Pinus radiata). This species was brought from North America and spread here only 100 years ago, occupying much of the forest surface of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, as well as part of the northern area of Navarre and Álava. We all know the insignis pine, its benefits and its inconveniences.

It is paradoxical that around the year 2000, at the time when more wood offers were in our mountains, the price of standing wood had been higher than ever before. But then prices went down, and forest owners went on to pay half for their pine forests. The crisis of construction, cycle generations, the competition of foreign wood and other actors were responsible for this crisis.

And now we have a little-known disease: the brown band (Apaticola Lecaonosticta). We have been fighting the processionary or the pine caterpillar for years, with the fusarium all the alarms were turned on, but somehow we controlled it, and now, almost inadvertently, the brown band has spread from the coast to the interior and has affected a lot of pines.

What to choose now? It's the question that many forest owners ask, and no one answers. Some want to continue with the insignis pine and have planted it again. Many prefer to change species and choose eucalyptus (Australian tree). This species, following the Cantabrian or Galician model, was used in many areas of Bizkaia, but it is now spreading a lot; it is also spreading from the Gipuzkoan coast to the interior. Eucalyptus grows very fast and its wood is used for the paper industry. Other tree species are also chosen, both North American (Douglasizeia, Redwoods, Acacia) and Asian (Japanese cedar). However, only a few forest owners bet on their trees and plant beech, oak, strawberry, or cherry trees, or instead of planting them, they let the forest come on their own. The latter option, however, does not receive any form of public aid.

We make significant subsidies for the demolition of pine trees and their planting with foreign species, with hardly any technical criteria or guidelines. The landscape of our forests is undergoing a remarkable change; eucalyptus is spreading and, therefore, it increases the loss of biodiversity and the risk of fires, but hardly anyone says anything, there is no discussion and there is no forestry policy in place to face this challenge that we face. No one is aware of the diseases suffered by eucalyptus, such as Mycosphaerella, or of the problems that can result from overplanting of outer conifers (ability to regenerate, overshadow, competition with other species, use of fertilizers, diseases…). Furthermore, it is not at all clear what the future value of the timber from these trees will be, both the one to be used for the saw and the one to be used for the paper industry.

Today, society is demanding respect for nature and, without forgetting the economic value of forest plantations, measures must be taken to ensure that the environment is protected. Promote indigenous tree species, especially in public forests, to be an example for all. We cannot forget the natural regeneration capacity of forests, because if trees are not planted it seems that the forest is not able to reproduce them. The choice of each species, both native and extrinsic, should be made with technical criteria and adapted to the situation of each plot. The planting and exploitation of trees (especially matarrase) must take into account rivers and streams, as well as public roads or housing. It is necessary to analyse which are the appropriate plantations for the cultivation of eucalyptus and which are not, and of course not to use this species in the public mountains. Care should also be taken to use other external species. Insignis pine cannot be used in places where the brown band is widespread or there is a risk of propagation, nor in low-lying grounds where it may be subject to procession. On the contrary, some mature pine forests of Insinis have a high ecological value and should be protected, buying the most appropriate way to achieve it. More than one will be surprised with this proposal, but there are many predators (thousands, vultures, small eagles, trees…) who build their nests in the branches of pines; some bird species eat worms that live on pine logs; and under the pines easily return oak trees, beech trees, strawberries, birch…

In the forestry sector, inertia is very strong, but if we are to meet the current challenges, we must make an effort to adapt to the new times. Forest guards too, as it could not be otherwise, we have to change some customs. It is not our duty, far from it, to decide on forestry policy, but in the face of what we are seeing every day we cannot remain silent, and we call on the institutions responsible for the forest, especially the representatives, and other actors (community of owners, wood lovers, trade unions…) to give serious thought to the situation we are experiencing and to define the main lines that the current forestry policy must follow.