Planning of uses and exploitation

Planning of uses and exploitation

Nowadays, the management of natural resources without prior planning is not acceptable. This planning, or forest management, requires a thorough study of both current and future possibilities, as well as an assessment of the forest's potential so that, in light of the results, the functions, products and services to be obtained from the community woodland can be planned. With the help of professionals, owners' associations or government services, a basic zoning should be carried out, reflected in a plan for its exploitation. The zones to be established could have one of the following uses:

• Forest;
• Silvopastoral;
• Farmer;
• Agricultural;
• Hunt;
• Entertainment and leisure;
• Conservation of cultural or natural values;
• Other uses (leasing to industries, granting for buildings, quarries…).

The technicians in each sector must draw up concrete plans for each of the areas that are defined, and it is common for multiple uses to coexist within the same community woodland.

The community should regard the community woodland as a source of goods and services, without forgetting that it is also an area of great protective and scenic—even cultural—value, where multiple activities can be developed, provided they are properly controlled and, above all, that the safety of participants is guaranteed. The objective is to reconcile the conservation of these values with the rational and sustainable use of natural resources.

In any case, the exploitation and enjoyment of communal village woods belong exclusively to the owning community, which may plan their exploitation in three possible ways:

1. Directly by the villagers, for both personal and family benefit;
2. Directly by the community itself for the collective benefit, with the community's own Governing Board acting as the managing body;
3. Indirectly, through consortia, agreements or contracts with the Forestry Administration or with other persons, both natural and legal, who effectively undertake the management of the forest.

These three ways of utilising the mountain's resources are not mutually exclusive, but they always require planning or zoning that identifies the possibilities or restrictions of each area. If this is done, it is possible to achieve the goal of ensuring that the overall management of the mountain is carried out sustainably.

Although communal use of the community woodland is normally regarded as the primary option, the regulations also provide for the temporary cession of woodland plots to community members who request them for livestock or agricultural purposes, for periods not exceeding eleven years, provided that prior approval is obtained from the General Assembly. If renewed, the plots may not coincide with those of the previous allocation.

The reality of rural Galicia means that these traditional agricultural uses, carried out individually by the commoners, tend to disappear over the years in favour of a diversified forestry use which, in most cases, is then carried out by the community itself. In general, the main purpose of these harvests will be to obtain funds to cover the expenses arising from the maintenance of infrastructure and the social use of the forest, which is becoming increasingly important and significant.