The objections filed to the forest maps exceeded 330,000, and to this day a remarkable number are still pending. This means that – until the process is completed – owners are left with their hands tied and unable to transfer or sell their property until their case is considered.
In particular, 334,938 objections were initially submitted (including obvious errors), which concerned more than 2.6 million acres, an area corresponding to 1.9% of the country. The latest information available to “ET” show that as of July, the number of objections that had not been examined was 219,766 objections (not including manifest ones) – with sources clarifying that the number changes daily, since cases are constantly being heard.
Major problems are found in areas of Eastern Attica and Crete, which had a record number of objections, but also in areas of the Aegean.
Nine categories
The errors are divided into 9 categories, according to the agronomist – topographer – engineer Grammati Baklatsis and concern:
- Errors due to cartographic backgrounds.
The accuracy of the map, which was created by combining two different images from 1945 and 2007, is generally checked, because during this time there were big changes in the landscape.
- Errors due to incorrect placement of subject boundaries.
In other words, the line that separates a forest area from an estate was not correctly crossed. This occurs mainly at the edges of fields bordering woodland, where the bulk of the foliage is within private agricultural land.
- Errors due to omission or misrepresentation of thematic areas (concerning form or character).
For example, an arboretum or an old olive grove, which due to the strong slope of the ground during the photointerpretation of the aerial photographs, was interpreted as a forest.
- Errors due to omission or incorrect data entries (matching).
B.C. it does not write inside the polygon what character the area has (DD, AD, DA, AN DX, etc.).
- Errors due to modified elements after image processing due to gradient areas.
By classified areas we mean the areas that for reasons of national security are shown edited on the map and this may have affected the surrounding area as well.
- Errors due to inclusion of lowland grassland, rocky or stony areas.
Areas located at an altitude of less than 100 meters with an average slope of less than 8% and a maximum slope of less than 12%, which have grassland vegetation or are rocky, are considered “plain” and which should be seen as “other form/ coverage’ (AA) on the forest map.
- Errors due to inclusion of grassland, rocky or stony areas identified as private.
This category includes allotments that were given by concessions to private individuals.
- Errors due to inclusion of artificial forest plantations as forest areas.
These are plantations (e.g. white oak groves, Christmas trees, forest plantations), which are created on private agricultural lands, for the purpose of logging, handling and marketing of forest products.
- Special errors due to failure to display actions of the administration before sanctioning the forest map.
This category covers cases such as not passing the deed of designation of the forest department or the boundary of the town plan, the boundaries of reclamation, etc.
HOW MANY OBJECTIONS WERE FILED AND WHERE
The most objections to the forest maps were submitted in Attica (28,552), followed by Chania (20,818), then Ioannina (17,305), Laconia (15,478) and the baton was taken by Larissa, Messinia and Aitoloakarnania.
50% IN PELOPONNISUS AND WESTERN GREECE
To a… satisfactory degree (tending towards 50%) the inspections of Peloponnese – Western Greece. On the contrary, the areas tending towards completion of examination are the inspections of Epirus – Western Macedonia, Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
Priority is given to obvious errors
Already in April, in an effort to reduce the volume of objections, the Ministry of Environment and Energy issued a circular to give priority to obvious errors. That is, it refers to requests that have an incorrect depiction of the nature of land owned by citizens and entities on the forest map and contradicts the real data of the historical and recent orthophoto map.
As explained to the “Free Press” by the Secretary General of Forests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Stathis Stathopoulos“from Easter onwards the Objections Committees are rapidly examining cases all over the country”.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs proceeded to prioritize the obvious errors in order to achieve, on the one hand, the progress of the works for the total sanction of the forest map within the given deadlines and, on the other hand, with their implementation against the background of the forest map, to be a guide and tool for the judgment of Committee in neighboring these objections, at the next stage of examination.
It is reminded that requests for the correction of an obvious error are submitted free of charge both electronically to the Land Registry and in person to the local Forest Directorates.
In relation to the supporting documents for the correction of the map due to an obvious error, the interested party should submit: relevant application to the Forestry Directorate, property contract, E9, photocopy of ID, coordinates of the area in EGSA 87 and documents from the Administration (e.g. grant, deed of designation, engineer’s certificate for building before 1955, etc.).
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