Plant protection and forest protection – the development of legislation and forest protection services in Poland

The paper presents the history of legal changes regarding forest protection in Poland and the development of forest protection services Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004 has affected the marketing and the use of plant protection products (PPPs) in the country. The implementation of the EU legislation (Directive 91/414/EEC) has resulted in a decline in the assortment of pesticides registered for use in agriculture, and in forestry. This situation resulted from the limited interest of producers in placing PPPs on the market. Furthermore, limitations in the aerial application of PPPs have been introduced, which has consequences for the protection of the forest, where aerial treatments are often the only way to reduce the number of pests. On the other hand, the introduction of integrated pest management (also in forestry) confirmed the adequacy of activities carried out in the State Forest National Forest Holding, where, for many decades, the prevention methods have been used to increase the resistance of stands and the multi-stage Decision Support System (DSS) is used to select the optimal protective method.