Dec 24, 2010. /Lesprom Network/. Estonia's government has approved a new forestry plan designed to ensure sustainability, reports KMS Baltics. The new plan, developed by the ministry of the environment, focuses on the country's forestry development over the next decade and calls for a focus on biodiversity and regeneration. Under the strategy, forest regeneration must occur on at least 50% of cutting areas, while 10% of forest land must be protected to preserve the natural environment. Minister of the environment Jaanus Tamkivi explained the government should be more will to trust private owners of forestry to ensure the long-term future of the sector. "I consider the biggest challenge in the development plan to be the objective of significantly raising the number of forest owners who belong to forestry associations and increasing the amount of timber sold through these associations," said Mr Tamkivi At present, a total of 34% of forest land in Estonia is privately owned and the State Forest Management Centre controls 37%. At least 2.2 million hectares of Estonia are covered in forest.