Department of Forestry and Resource Policy

Ministry of Agriculture and Food

The department of Forestry and Resource Policy main task is to establish a long-term forestry and resource policy for economic growth, for the environment and for sustainable industry development.

Important tasks include developing modern and effective soil conservation, to draft policies, strategies and means for economic development in forests, graze lands, bioenergy etc. and property legislation in agriculture. R & D are crucial elements of this effort. This section maintains the Svalbard Global Seed Vault,  the National Forest (Statskog SF) and the Land Consolidation Courts, in close consultation with the National Courts Administration.

The department is engaged with international issues like forestry policy (the UN forest forums and Forest Europe), gene resources (FAO (Commission on Genetic resources)) and plant cultivation (UPOV).

The department cooperates with various other institutions and organizations within the its area of expertise, such as the Norwegian Forestry Company (Det norske Skogselskap), Forest Courses (Skogkurs) and The Norwegian Environmental and Bioscience University (Noregs miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet (NMBU). 

The department consists of the following sections

  • Land Use, Environment and Regional Policy Section

    The section is responsible for coordinating environmental efforts and planning for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and its work on biological diversity. The section works on security for future food production, genetic resources both nationally and internationally and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Furthermore, the section is responsible for cultural landscapes, environmental and cultural heritage sites, soil preservation and area use policy.The section coordinates the sector's environmental work and handles community planning. This includes map policy, area use and protection, preservation plans and planning cases (municipal plans, county plans, road plans, watercourse issues, impact assessments), and area documentation / resource listings. The division also works with regional policy, regional and municipal level agricultural management and manages support for voluntary organizations. The section is tasked with support functions for county governors.

  • Forest Policy Section

    The Forest Policy Section is responsible for forest policy issues related to primary forestry, and the relevant legal and economic policy instruments. The section is also responsible for environmental forestry measures, bioenergy and processing and marketing. The section deals with industry development regarding range lands and forest, wood-based innovation programs, training and recruitment. The section is responsible for Statskog and the National Common Lands and various county commons. The section handles external management, such as assisting County Governors on issues within the section's remit. The section is responsible for coordinating the department's international work and international forest policy, for example the UN's forestry forums and Forest Europe.

  • Property and Population Policy Section

    The Property and Population Policy Section is responsible for policy making, development of regulations and legal matters as regards e.g. the Act relating to concession and to the public authorities' right of pre-emption in the acquisition of real property (Concession Act), Act relating to Land, Law on allodial right ("odel") and homestead right ("aasete") (Allodial Law/Udal Act) (with the exception of process rules), Law on neighbour fences (Fences Act), Act on grazing issues (Pasture Act), Law on land consolidation etc. (Land Consolidation Act), Act to determine and adjust property and legal conditions for real estate etc. (Land Consolidation Act), the Leasing Act, Law on protection against and compensation for natural damage (Natural Damage Act) and Act on compensation for natural damages (Natural Damage Compensation Act).