Best practice case

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General description of the organization

   Directorate General of State Forests under the Ministry of Environment is institution, designated for economic management of state forests, which are attributed to 42 state forest enterprises. It manages as well as coordinates regeneration and maintenance of these forests, their protection and use of forest resources. By implementing the mentioned functions, Directorate General of State Forests performs functions of the executive institution; also it is a founder of state forest enterprises.

   The mission of the Directorate General of State Forests is to increase ecological, environmental, economic, recreational and other socially important values of managed state forests, which are the most important compound part of the whole state forest system in Lithuania, by managing them in accordance with the principles of sustainable forestry, using forest resources in rational way, regenerating and augmenting them. One of the implementing objectives of the Directorate General of State Forests is coordination of recreational activities of state forest enterprises.

   The General Plan of the Republic of Lithuania anticipates forestry development with regards to the key objectives of Lithuanian Forestry Policy. It also includes increase of recreational potential of the forests. One of the 12 strategic goals of the forestry development, included in the Lithuanian Forestry Policy and its Implementation Strategy, is meeting general public needs related with forests. It includes: (i) Harmonization of regulations for visiting of forests with respect to the needs of forest owners and the public; (ii) Development of cognitive recreation and forest tourism infrastructure; (iii) Protection and preservation of cultural inheritance in the forests.

   Although for a long time the forests primarily have been regarded as economic value, they have also been satisfying social and spiritual human needs. Since the industry and urbanization got developed and most of inhabitants transferred to the cities, greater importance have been attributed at social (recreational) functions of the forests. In the second half of the XXth century, spare time spending in the forests got the common name of „recreation“. In general practically all forests can perform recreational functions; however, there are certain forests that on the state level have been attributed at recreational functions as being the key and most important ones. The management of such forests involves certain particularities. First of all, it means to prepare the forests for attendance of the forest visitors in the way that the possible damage for the forest ecosystems would be as low as possible and there would be satisfied the most common human demands.

   State forest enterprises annually cherish natural resources and objects of cultural inheritance, take care of preservation of landscape objects, and provide the society with opportunities of exploring them. During the recent years, the great attention has been given to the adaptation of forests for versatile attendance and enriched rest in the surrounded nature. While developing recreational infrastructure, it is being focused on the most favourable and frequently visited forest areas. In such way, the flows of forests visitors are being regulated and allocated to the safest places in terms of fire and ecosystems protection. Creation of cognitive and educational objects is being attributed to educational activities; it allows the public to explore riches of the nature and cultural inheritance. At the same time, it means public education, enhancement of its cultural behaviour in the nature, creature of favourable conditions for predominant in Lithuania family vacation. With recreational means, the forests are being less littered, the landscape and other biologically sensitive sites are being less damaged, well selected and equipped fire places serve for reduced fire hazard.

   At the moment, unfortunately, there is no methodology to evaluate the total recreational benefit (as well as environmental or ecological one) of the forests in monetary expression; nobody has ever been able to assess the values of the rest time, spent in the forest.

General description of the case

   During the recent years, there is a strong demand of the public for spending the leisure time in the forests. People are more and more interested in attractiveness of site landscape, its nature and culture components and objects, their suitability for recreational activities. The visitors usually go out camping, make some famous sight-seeing, get relax, entertain themselves, etc. By seeking of the balanced economical, ecological and social forest functions, the foresters are paying the big attention at adaptation of the forests for the needs of the public.
 
   Adaptation of recreational objects in the forests for the needs of the disabled is a new occurrence and phenomenon in Lithuanian state forests. The conditions, which have led to the development of recreational objects in the forests, adapted to the needs of the disabled, are as follows: the intention to contribute to the encouragement of integration into society of the disabled people in wheelchairs, the wish to design equal possibilities of life conditions with other members of the society, the desire to implement other means, which would guarantee the equal social rights of the physically disabled people.
  
The reasons behind the case

   The Council of European Union and the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania have declared the year of 2003 as the Year of the Disabled. By implementing these decisions, Lithuanian Republic Government has adopted the plan of actions of the Year of the Disabled and the means for its implementation. Directors of state forest enterprises were assigned to organize arrangements of forest access paths and roads leading to resting sites and to create special additional equipment for the disabled in the part of them. In addition to that, there were pointed out necessity to provide the information about possible seasonal works in the forests, the possibilities to manufacture small simple items (such as bounding besoms, birch besoms, twining coronas and similar). By developing and improving general recreational activities in the forests and seeking of proper implementation of specific means, adopted by the Lithuanian Republic Government, Directorate General of State Forests has stipulated certain specific tasks for the year of 2003 for state forest enterprises: (i) to adapt attractive, interesting and valuable forest sites for the rest of the disabled of Lithuania; (ii) to develop accommodated infrastructure, informational system and functional recreational equipment, dedicated for efficient and enriching leisure of the disabled in the forests; (iii) to perform supervision, maintenance and cleaning works in the equipped recreational sites, guarantee and ensure sustain neat and intimate environment.
 
The actors behind the case

   Directorate General of State Forests, being the institution responsible for management of state forests and coordinating recreational activities of the state forest enterprises, puts efforts to increase recreational potential of them and other public importance benefits. Adaptation of recreational objects for the needs of the disabled is mostly done using the finances of state forest enterprises.

   In Directorate General of State Forests there is appointed one state officer, which is responsible for coordination and organization issues concerning recreational activities of state forest enterprises. Key information for the public about implementing works is being referred to implement for the specialist of public relations in Directorate General of State Forests. Each state forest enterprise has an officer (deputy director of state forest enterprise on forestry issues, engineer on recreation, specialist of public relations or other specialist), which is responsible for consultancy work on specific issues of adapting recreational objects for the needs of the disabled.
 
   Directorate General of State Forests is signed the collaboration agreement with Lithuanian Paraplegic Association, which connects the people moving with the help of wheelchairs. The issues concerning adaptation of recreational objects for the needs of the disabled is being solved with collaboration of other organizations: (i) State Service for Protected Areas under the Ministry of Environment - drafts target programs for management of protected areas, supervises and coordinates their implementation, takes care of adapting national and regional parks for visiting, cognition, recreation, exploring and spare time spending, etc.; (ii) State Forest Inventory and Management Institute - drafts forest management projects and plans for state forest enterprises, including protected territories, forests of recreational purpose or any other special purpose, etc.; (iii) the Council for the Affairs of Disabled under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania - unifies republic wide public organizations of the disabled.
 
   State forest enterprises, developing recreational activities in state forests, work closely and consult with specialists of protected areas, landscape architects, scientists, the disabled and representatives of other interested groups of the society.

The process leading to success

   Starting with the year of 2002, expenditure for fitting and maintenance of recreational objects has been included into annual compulsory tasks of state forest enterprises. Every year Directorate General of State Forests sets various works norms, including forest regeneration and afforestation, forest protection and other. One of these norms is fitting and care of recreational and environmental objects in the forests.
 
   In 2003, Ministry of Environment has approved the proposal of Directorate General of State Forests to set one of the priorities for activities in state forests - improvement of complex state forestry activities trying to achieve the balance of economical, ecological and social forest functions. Starting with the mentioned year, state forest enterprises were significantly oriented to increase the quantities of works in developing recreational activities in the state forests.

   On the 4th of September in 2003, Directorate General of State Forests has organized the national meeting on issues of recreational sites in Kretinga state forest enterprise. Governmental authorities, scientists and journalists took participation in this conference. The main issues of proper management arrangements in recreational importance forests and forests at the seaside, the principals of funding, the information systems at recreational sites and management activities (littering) were broadly discussed. Participants have visited recreational sites, adapted for the disabled (by the long term forestry officer Mr. R.Kviklys) at the forestry of Šventoji. Significant attention was given to the leisure of the disable in state forests. The meeting stipulated certain actions, how to adapt recreational objects for the needs of the disabled.
 
   By the order command of General Director, on 25th of September 2003 order, state forest enterprises were oriented to organize the meetings with leaders of public organizations of the disabled, to assess in the field anticipated or already fitted sites, dedicated for the leisure of the disabled, to assign the agreements documents.
   In autumn of 2003 during the meetings with leaders of public organizations of the disabled, specialists from state forest enterprises have inspected and reviewed actually fitted recreational sites in the field, evaluated their suitability and rest conditions for the needs of the disabled, informed about general performing recreational activities in the forests. Experts of state forest enterprises were introduced with issues and problems, by which disabled people are facing, when they are spending time in the forests. The leaders and representatives of the disabled social organizations have expressed the specific requests and proposals. During those meetings, directors of state forest enterprises have made resolutions to pay more attention at expressed remarks by the disabled, regarding amending and improving of recreational fittings and adapting the objects to the needs of the disabled: to construct greater number of forest furniture, to fit access roads for using wheelchairs, to level and smooth out territories of recreational sites, to thicken pedestrian cover, to install guardrails, wooden paths and bridges nearby water ponds, to carry out needed restoration works of wooden equipment, to place signs showing recreational suitability for the disabled.

   During the immediate meetings in 2003 and through district media means, state forest enterprises notified the organizations of the disabled about the adaptation of recreational objects for the disabled rest, discussed the possibilities to perform small works for the disabled. State forest enterprises offered the support for the disabled by providing raw materials for the manufacturing of coronas, birch besoms and whisk for feeding of domestic animals, seminary shelter-decks from willows and other products to prepare. During the year of 2003 the disabled were performing various simple works in state forests. They were collecting seeds, tearing and sorting sprouts in the nurseries, manufacturing seminary shelter-decks from willows, performing arrangement works in the young forests, planting forests and mowing moats. In cooperation with state forest enterprises, the disabled were manufacturing nesting-boxes, wooden Christmas trees, small presents from clay, untraditional souvenirs from natural resources; they were personally involved in instalment, creature and maintenance of recreational objects for the disabled.
 
   On the 10th of January in 2004, in Kaunas the event called “The Colours of Life” was organized. During this event the collaboration agreement among Directorate General of State Forests and Lithuanian Paraplegic Association was signed. The main objective of it is the implementation of joint actions for ensuring equal rights and social possibilities of the disabled. The agreement stipulates about the possibilities to adapt recreational objects (cognitive, educational and other paths, resting spots, sight-seeing places, camp sites, etc.) for the needs of paraplegics, to perform maintenance and arrangement works there, to share information on occurring issues while camping, to introduce specific proposals and methodical support in the field of creating of specific recreational equipment, to promote and encourage cooperation and collaboration between state forest enterprises and Lithuanian Paraplegic Association.
 
   During the meetings held on 12th and 16th of May in 2004, the representatives of Directorate General of State Forests, some state forest enterprises, Lithuanian Paraplegic Association and the Council for the Affairs of the Disabled committed to further develop the collaboration, to share necessary information, to integrate recreational objects adapted for the disabled into recreational sites of general use.

   By the letter on 4th of June in 2004, Directorate General of State Forests directed for state forest enterprises to integrate recreational objects for the disabled into the recreational sites of general use, to pay greater attention at adaptation of special fittings and environment for the needs of the disabled, to place special international signs of the disabled in such objects, to construct parking areas, to build more suitable forest furniture, to install access roads suitable for wheelchairs and wider wooden paths to water pools, to construct wider bridges. Proper special attention was also given to solve the issues of outdoor toilets adjusted for the people in wheelchairs, also concerning building smooth and without any holes or disparities cover, hard, rough enough and non slipping paths and areas for the disabled. The projection of such paths must ensure freely and safe movement around in the wheelchairs.
 
   In 2004 the survey of recreational objects in state forests was organized by Directorate General of the Sate Forests together with Lithuanian Foresters Association. Its objective was to identify the best recreational objects in state forests. One of the evaluation criteria of recreational equipment was extent of the suitability and adaptation of the particular recreational object for the disabled. Summarizing the evaluation results, there were some recreational objects adapted for the disabled among the prize-winners.

   In 2004 Directorate General of State Forests has published a brochure for the public titled “Finding Your Own Happiness by Taking Care of the Other’s” and another one entitled “Forests are Waiting for You” about the recreational objects in Lithuanian forests adapted for the leisure of the disabled.

   The managers of state forests provide the social services for the group of society at nation wide of the Republic of Lithuania. There are various social organizations involved in different aspects of affairs of the disabled in many districts of the republic; therefore there are spread of recreational objects for the disabled in all state forests controlled by 42 state forest enterprises.
 
   Every year state forest enterprises adapt recreational objects based on the requests expressed by the disabled, build parking areas, construct plank paths suitable for moving around in wheelchairs, level site territories, thicken pedestrian site covers, adjust forest furniture, install guardrails, construct special outdoor toilets and bridges to water ponds, place informational special signs indicating sites suitability for the disabled, perform other works of site renovation, maintenance and cleaning.
 
Results indicating the success

   The disabled people have opportunities and possibilities to spend their time in state forests, get acquainted with the values of nature, organize picnics, etc. In such way, the communication and collaboration are being promoted and developed, the feeling of the same belonging to the society and full integration into the latter are being motivated and stimulated.

   The disabled of Lithuania get chances to take participation personally in the designing and establishment of recreational objects in state forests, to perform various simple, but significant forestry works.

   Through publications and district media means, the society is constantly being introduced with the works of state foresters in the development of recreational infrastructure and implementing measures helping for the disabled integration, their equal rights and other means ensuring social possibilities.
 
   The survey and evaluation of recreational objects in state forests was performed in 2004, where the evaluation of functional purpose of the recreational fittings for disabled was included – how one or another specific piece of furniture has been adapted for the comfortable use of campers, how adequate is technical design of such pieces and other specific issues. The objects nominated as prize winner, especially paths of various purposes, are characterized like extremely functional with quality pieces of recreational furniture, attributed to comfortable relaxation of the disabled in state forests.
 
   Based on the data presented by the state forest enterprises, on the 1st of January in 2006 status, there were inventoried over 250 recreational objects in the forests adapted for the disabled, namely: 12 cognitive and 4 educational paths, 12 recreational paths, 9 specialized paths, 9 sight-seeing places, 71 resting spots, 104 resort places, 21 camp sites and 12 other recreational objects. Each state forest enterprise has at least one recreational object in the forests, adjusted for the disabled in accordance with their expressed requests.

   Recreational objects in state forests adapted for the disabled (on 01-01-2006 status)

The main obstacles of the case

   At the process beginnings of the adaptation of recreational objects for the disabled, there was a lack of information on key technological solutions. There was no clear impression, what kind of cover was required (asphalt, thickened ground or planks) for freely movement around in wheelchairs, what were main requirements for the installations and what kind of spots were most suitable for repose of the disabled (whether separate objects or part of the adapted installations integrated into the sites of general use). State forest enterprises have involved themselves in searching for constructional solutions and most efficient ways of their implementation, without destroying surrounding landscape and aspiring of the adapted forest furniture to be integrated into the general surrounding environment. Up to the day, similar examples were difficult to find.

   It was clear, that the immediate participation of the disabled was required in the process of creation of such recreational sites and objects. Remarks, methodical support and consultancy on specific issues of improvement of recreational fittings, expressed by the disabled, are being taken into account in implementation of projects currently under development, integration of resting sites for the disabled into recreational sites of general use.

   State forest enterprises were furnished with recommendations regarding special recreational fittings at the sites and their adaptation to the needs of the disabled.

The most important lessons learned

   While focusing on better satisfaction of the needs of the disabled people, they have been given all opportunities of visiting forests, enjoying versatile repose surrounded by nature, getting acquaintance with its values like never before.

   State forest enterprises have taken up design of cognitive and recreational objects and even their installation together with close participation of the disabled (Lithuanian Paraplegic Association, departments of various organizations on the affairs of the disabled all across Lithuania), thus promoting partnership and collaboration.
 
   The attention and benevolent support for the people with disabilities in solving various technological, informational and other issues is encouraging offering a hand to the part of society experiencing difficulties.