2026-09-07
- The data in the State Forest Cadastre does not always reflect the actual situation – in some registered forest areas, there are also buildings, roads, sports facilities or bodies of water.
- The National Audit Office recommended as far back as 2018 that a clear procedure for the accounting of forest land be established, but this was only approved in April 2026.
- Modern technology allows changes in forests to be monitored in real time, but in Lithuania these opportunities are still not being utilised sufficiently.
Reliable and up-to-date data is one of the most important prerequisites for effective forest protection and management. An overview of the state of forest resources and their protection, carried out by the National Audit Office, shows that some forests are still not accurately reflected in the state registers; naturally regenerated forests are not always recorded in a timely manner; and the potential of modern technologies to monitor changes in forests is not being fully utilised. Consequently, there is an increased risk of making inaccurate decisions, planning forest protection on the basis of incomplete data, failing to detect infringements in a timely manner, and creating conditions for abuse and the misuse of forest land.
“Effective forest protection does not begin with bans or controls, but with a precise understanding of what we have and what is happening in our forests, particularly when faced with natural disasters such as those we have seen in recent weeks. The more reliable the data, the quicker we can spot changes, respond to them and make decisions that help preserve our forests for future generations,” says Auditor General Irena Segalovičienė.
Registered as forest, in reality – roads, sports facilities and bodies of water
The overview by the National Audit Office found that the data in the State Forest Cadastre do not always reflect the actual situation. An example given in the report shows that the data in the State Forest Cadastre may not reflect actual land use – part of the registered forest area is also occupied by buildings, roads, sports facilities and bodies of water. Such discrepancies could be identified more efficiently through the wider use of geoinformation systems and remote sensing technologies.
Naturally regenerated forests are not always recorded in the register in a timely manner
The overview shows that, due to delays in the inventory process, some naturally regenerated forests remain unrecorded for a long time. In 2024, 1.85 thousand hectares of such forests had not yet been registered in the State Forest Cadastre. Consequently, the official data do not fully reflect the country’s actual forest cover, and the protection and monitoring of these areas become more challenging.
Technology can help identify changes more quickly
Modern geospatial data, remote sensing tools, artificial intelligence and automated data analysis enable real-time analysis and the rapid identification of changes in forests and potential infringements where forest land is used for purposes other than those for which it is designated.
However, the overview by the National Audit Office shows that the potential for synchronising and automatically analysing data accumulated in registers is still not being fully utilised in Lithuania. Wider application of these techniques would enable discrepancies to be spotted more quickly, timely action to be taken and data-driven decisions to be made regarding forest protection.
Data gaps – not just a problem for statistics
Shortcomings in the accounting, inventory and registration of forest land have wider implications than merely inaccurate statistical data. They distort the official picture of the country’s forest cover, complicate the planning of forest protection measures, and hinder the timely detection of infringements and the taking of data-driven decisions. Furthermore, such gaps may create opportunities for abuse, the inefficient use of funding or the misuse of forest land.
The National Audit Office recommended as early as 2018 that a clear procedure for the accounting of forest land be established, but this was only approved in April 2026. The National Audit Office plans to assess the results and impact of its implementation when carrying out the financial audit of the 2026 set of state accounts.