Forest Law

Information about setting a fire

You can get information about the current ban on setting a fire on the website of erdotuz.hu or from the maps placed on the website of the disaster management.
You can access to the map of forestry directly and search your residence or the place of the trip you have planned; the forest areas in the neighbouring areas can be identified with the help of the map.
The map indicates the ban on setting a fire in force on the day of checking the map with red colour!

Information about visiting a forest

Hiking, trekking

The following rules, which can be found in the § 91 of the Law on Forest, are enforced concerning visiting the forest on foot:

• Anyone can stay in the forest in order to take a holiday, do sports and to take a trip only at their own risk.
• Forest visitors are not allowed to cause any damage to the forest community, the forest soil or to any forestry establishments; they cannot disturb any other visitors to relax or any proper silvicultural activities to be accomplished without any reasons.
• Forest visitors are obliged to pay any damages and expenses caused to the silviculturist.
• You are not allowed to use any afforestation areas in order to take a holiday, do sports and to take a trip on foot – except for on mapped out routes – until tree stock on the area has reached the height of 2 metres in average; you are not allowed to visit the seed area in the forest reservation.

Any further rules concerning collecting mushrooms, wild fruit, herbs, etc., and taking away any spring water (forest profit-taking) are in accordance with the § 69 of the Law on Forest and the § 42 of the Implementing Regulation:

• In the forest being in the 100 % ownership of the state you are permitted to collect mushrooms, wild fruit and herbs in the quantity not exceeding individual needs (2 kg per person and per day). You shall need the preliminary written approval of the silviculturist to collect a quantity exceeding the quantity mentioned above. Mushrooms, wild fruit and herbs collected for individual needs are not allowed to be sold.
• You are permitted to collect anything else in the forest – regardless of the quantity – only with the preliminary written approval of the silviculturist.

Collecting mushrooms underground (truffles) is regulated in accordance with the VM Decree of 4/2012. (III.19.):

• You are permitted to collect truffles only with the preliminary written approval of the silviculturist issued to the collector. The collector is obliged to keep the approval on hand during the collecting process.

In accordance with the § 93 of the Law on Forest, only with the approval of the silviculturist you are allowed to:

• stay in the forest for more than 24 hours in order to take a holiday or do sports, camp, furthermore, to pitch a tent;
• map out and draw a tourist route; to build any tourist establishments and to maintain them;
• to operate any temporary stands;
• organise any sport events not named in the Law on Forest and
• to place any signs, any measuring or collecting tools or to draw any samples of the forest community or of the forest soil considered not to be a state task.
• If you intend to do any research or make any surveys, you are obliged to report about the activity to the silviculturist.

Cycling and horse riding

Visiting the forest either by bicycle or on a horse is regulated by the § 91 and § 93 of the Law on Forest in the following way:

• Anyone can stay in the forest in order to take a holiday, do sports and to take a trip by bicycle or on a horse only at their own risk.
• You are allowed to cycle or ride a horse on mapped out tourist routes and to ride a horse on mapped out cycle paths just in case if the given tourist route or cycle path have been marked for simultaneous use. In case of crossing mapped out tourist routes or cycle paths, horse riders are obliged to cross the route or the path pacing.
• Forest visitors are not allowed to cause any damage to the forest community, the forest soil and to the forestry establishments with cycling or horse riding; they are also not allowed to disturb any other visitors to relax or any proper silvicultural activities to be accomplished without any reasons; they are obliged to pay all the damages caused and any expenses to the silviculturist.
• You are not allowed to visit the seed area in the forest reservation or to use any afforestation areas either by bicycle or on a horse – except for on mapped out routes – until tree stock on the area has reached the height of 2 metres in average.
• You are allowed to use only mapped out and reported sections of any forest park routes in order to ride a horse.
• You are allowed to organise horse and technical sport events in the forest only with the approval of the silviculturist and the permit of the Authority of Woods and Forests.

Travelling by a vehicle dragged by a horse

The following rules enforced concerning any forest visits by a vehicle dragged by a horse are determined by the § 91 and 92 of the Law on Forest:

• Anyone can stay in the forest on the forest exploring areas (forestry private paths, built tracks for approaching the forest area, tracks for approaching the forest area) in order to take a holiday, do sports and to take a trip by a vehicle dragged by a horse of either sport or tourist purpose only at their own risk.
• You are prohibited to go in the forest outside the forest exploring areas by a vehicle dragged by a horse either of sport or tourist purpose and you are not allowed to use the forest park routes either.

Travelling by any vehicles

Visiting the forest by any vehicles is regulated by the § and §/A-a 92 of the Law on Forest in the following way:

• You are allowed to go in the forest of the purpose of visit by a vehicle - including vehicles without any sport or tourist purposes, and bicycles moved not only by human force - on forestry private routes - opened for the public traffic - not protected with a “no entry” sign and/or any barriers - only at your own risk.
• You are allowed to use any routes of the forest exploring area of the purpose of visit by any vehicles only with permission of the silviculturist and at your own risk.
• You are prohibited by the law to travel in the forest and on the areas of the forest exploring network by quad, cross-country motorbike, scooter and by motorbike. You cannot even be authorized by the silviculturist.

Dogs in the forest

In accordance with the § 193 of the Act II of 2012 on offences:

• The person, who shall let the dogs away - except for hunting or truffle searching dogs -under their control without a lead or let them roam around on a natural area, a nature reserve or on a hunting area, shall commit an offence; on account of this offence both the park ranger and the forest ranger are entitled to impose a fine on the spot.

In accordance with the § 37/B of the Law on Hunting:

• On a hunting area, in favour of protecting the wild animal supplies, if the hunter cannot have the opportunity to search for the owner, he is entitled - with a tool permitted for catching or bagging a game - to catch or bag
  • the dog hunting or bagging a game, if the injury of the game cannot be prevented in another way, furthermore,
  • either a dog or a cat if the spread of any infections or any attacks cannot be prevented in any different ways.

The § 94 of the Law on Forest shall contain the general provisions concerning any visits in the forest:
The silviculturist shall be authorized to restrict and subject to conditions visiting certain forest areas temporarily providing that staying-there will endanger life or physical integrity, and it will jeopardize or obstruct any silvicultural work.
The person authorized for hunting is allowed to restrict using certain forest areas temporarily for the hunting period.

Law on Forest

The Law on Forest in force can be found here!