Summary
Do you want to organise an activity that involves temporarily marking out a route in the Walloon forest?
As a sports club, school or association, your walk, jog, bike or mountain bike event cannot take place everywhere in the forest. Circulation in the forest is regulated in Wallonia. For example, the trails are closed to mountain bikes.
Authorisation is required to temporarily mark out your route. Apply for temporary marking to the SPW Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment (SPW ARNE) a maximum of 45 days before the installation of the marking.
The Department of Nature and Forests (DNF) will analyse your request and grant (or not) authorisation to mark out your activity.
A request to the DNF for marking out a route does not exempt you from obtaining the authorisation of the municipality and, if necessary, that of the private owner(s) of the forest to be crossed. Don't forget that the municipality must also authorise the holding of the event on its territory.
TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT MARKING
Marking becomes permanent when it lasts more than 10 days. The Commissariat Général au Tourisme (CGT) is competent in Wallonia if you want to make permanent markings whose itinerary passes through the forest and it is this body that you must contact.
COMPLETE THE FORM
Interested? Follow the procedure detailed below in "Procedure".
If your itinerary concerns motorised vehicles (motorcycle, 4x4 or quad), please contact the competent territorial headquarters directly by email (see "contacts" section).
In detail
- Sports clubs
- De facto associations
- NPO
- Schools
- Citizens
- Businesses
Installation of the markings - rules to respect:
- The markers must include the organisation's reference and the organiser's phone number;
- The markers must be fixed as a priority on fence posts and on trees that already have indications (permanent markers, GR, hunting, etc.);
- Markers fixed onto trees will be attached with string and other ties;
- It is forbidden to use plastic elements, paint, nails or staples.
This procedure is available in French and German.
IN STEPS
- You must complete the online form available below, as well as the required appendices, no later than 45 days before the implementation of the markers;
- The Department of Nature and Forestry (DNF) will verify your file;
- We will get back to you if any documents are missing;
- You will receive an answer within 30 days:
o Either a positive
answer o Or a refusal. This refusal will be explained by our services and you can amend the file by taking into account the comments made.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR A COMPLETE FILE:
- a document that describes:
- the planned activity
- the date of the activity
- the target audience
- the marking technique
- a 10,000, 20,000 or 25,000 scale map or map extract showing the proposed route. You can also send a trace in gpx format
- the owner's agreement for the installation of the markers off the path (municipality, DNF, private, etc.)
APPEAL
A reasoned appeal may be sent to the competent Minister by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.
- Forestry Code of 5 July 2008 (Article 26)
- Code forestier du 5 juillet 2008 (article 26)
- Decree of the Walloon Government of 29 May 2009 concerning the entry into force and the execution of the Decree of 15 July 2008 concerning the Forestry Code
- Arrêté du gouvernement Wallon du 29 mai 2009 relatif à l’entrée en vigueur et à l’exécution du décret du 15 juillet 2008 relatif au Code forestier
