CNN has a sister station (both owned by Discovery) in Poland called TVN, which is just as politicized as the original station.
Polish Forestry Service (State Forests) was forced to respond to the TVN's material entitled: "This is how the authorities treat forests. Economist shows data." Below is a translation of the statement published on Dorzeczy(.)pl:
Contrary to TVN24's revelations, the State Forests do not export wood at all, and the "expert" quoted by TVN does not distinguish between kilograms and tons, or the export of unprocessed wood from the export of wood products, the dynamic growth of which proves the excellent condition and success of Polish producers.
The State Forests denies the information provided by TVN24 and appeals to the station not to use the company in its disinformation activities promoting politicians in the election campaign.
It is not true that the State Forests export wood, let alone send it to China. 'Forests' sell the obtained raw material through a special sales system promoting recipients who process wood in our country. Timber harvesting is based on 10-year plans approved by the ministry and created by experts and scientists in consultation with local communities. Such plans have been in the works for decades, and many of those still in force were created during the rule of the current opposition. These plans do not change during their validity and do not depend on current demand, wood prices on the markets, or the political situation.
The sales system has also been in operation for many years. Its rules are transparent and available to every consumer.
The increase in wood exports observed in Polish ports is due to the increased transshipment of wood from countries other than Poland. This proves the success of Polish ports, which offer attractive prices and transshipment conditions to foreign contractors.
Some of the wood is exported by Polish companies that buy Polish raw material from the State Forests and sell it abroad. Foresters have no influence on this, nor can they prohibit their export because it would be inconsistent with EU regulations guaranteeing free trade.
The State Forests support the introduction by Poland, in consultation with the European Union, of a ban or restrictions on the export of unprocessed wood from Polish forests.
The State Forests also point out that the "expert" cited by TVN24 television as an argument for the increase in wood exports "during the times of the ruling coalition" provides data from the Central Statistical Office, which, firstly, includes the total export of wood and wood products, and moreover, the "expert" overestimated these sizes ten times.
The State Forests appeal to the media for reliability.
Of the alleged exports of 99 million tons per year for 2022 given by the "expert" - in fact, 9.9 million tons - the export of unprocessed wood amounted to only about 3 tons, while the remaining amount is wood products. The expert and TVN24 journalists not only confuse kilograms with tons but also do not distinguish the statistics between a 100-kilogram tree trunk and, for example, a 100-kilogram wardrobe with only wooden doors.
The State Forests emphasize that the increase in exports of wood products is beneficial for the state, as it proves the development of the wood industry and the greater competitiveness of Polish producers in foreign markets.
In the opinion of the State Forests, this type of false or manipulated information from TVN24 is published on purpose to discredit the company and is part of the election campaign conducted by politicians. The State Forests strongly protest this and appeal to the media not to repeat falsehoods.
