Staatsbosbeheer

Staatsbosbeheer, founded in 1899, is a Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves.

Staatsbosbeheer currently oversees over 250,000 hectares of land in the Netherlands.^[1] Usually this land is open to the public for recreational purposes, but restrictions often apply. Examples are the compulsory use of a leash when bringing a dog, or daytime access only.

The organization has been criticized for not taking close enough care of its lands,^[2] or for interfering with political decisions,^[3] but news reports are generally positive^[4] or simply report public service announcements from the organization.^[5][6]

While the literal translation of the name would be 'State Forest Management', forests make up only 900 square kilometres of the total land under supervision. The remaining land consists of various landscapes, such as dunes, polders and wetlands.