Spa forests in Poland as forests with special legal status – selected issues

The subject of the article were spa forests in Poland as forests with special legal status. Due to the lack of a legal definition of this term, the aim of the article was to characterize and analyze the concept of spa forests. The current model of spa forests was shown, which consists of protective forests, forests in spa protection zones, forests with increased social function and forest promotional complexes. The problematic issue was the characterization and definition of the concept of spa forests, which is a collective term resulting from the overlap of several legal regimes characteristic of several other types of forests. However, the point of contact between these regimes is only the health resort area and many restrictions on forest management related to it. Undoubtedly, spa forests are not only protective and environmentally friendly. Proposed new assumption would allow for the creation of a division of spa forests based on the ecosystem approach, which is based on the assessment of the natural and social value of forests and would enable division into three categories: forests excluded from use covering the health resort area; forests partially excluded from use covering the area of the health resort commune adjacent to the health resort; commercially used forests covering the remaining area of the health resort commune. Due to the expectations of various social groups and changing economic conditions, this division would reflect a compromise involving the introduction of the concept of a multifunctional spa forests combining protective-social functions and wood production.