The forests that are part of the current Kozienice Forest District are located in the area of the Kozienicka Forest (which is part of the former Radom Forest) - one of the few forest complexes in the country with a well-developed history of forests and forest management.
Radom Forest
The Radom Forest was part of the huge forest massif of the Świętokrzyskie Forests,
connecting through the valley of the Pilica River with the forests of Mazovia.
The main core of the Forest has belonged to the royal estates since ancient times. During the feudal period, hunting and bee-keeping were mainly conducted in the Forest. From the 16th century, along with the development of sawmilling, mass exploitation of wood began. In 1554, the first inspection was carried out to determine the extent of the royal forests.
Kozienice Forest
In 1607, part of the Radom Forest, covering the area east of the Radomka River, was included in the table goods, from which the so-called Ekonomia Królewska with its registered office in Kozienice. This area was then called the Kozienicka Forest. The inclusion of Ekonomia Królewskie in Kozienice in table goods contributed to the protection of these forests against excessive logging.
In the eighteenth century, the progressive development of agriculture and the increase in the population contributed to the strong exploitation of wood and the reduction of the forest area.
Forestry Kozienice
In the mid-eighteenth century, feudal forms of organization in forest management were liquidated and a capitalist economy was introduced, consisting in separating forest management from agricultural and grange management. The final separation took place in 1784, when the forestry of Kozienice was created from the royal forests of the Forest, and full forest administration was taken over by appointed forest inspectors reporting directly to the Royal Treasury Commission in Warsaw. Since then, there has also been an improvement in forest management, the pursuit of continuous use and the staffing of forest stands with professionals. In 1793, one of the first forest management in Poland was carried out, consisting in a general description of the species composition of individual forests, an inventory of animals, determination of the number of hours and locating it on a specific clearing area. Efforts were made to liquidate the plundering economy and switch to the planned use of the forest.
Three forest districts
In 1885, another installation was carried out based on the Russian instruction from 1884. The former forestry of Kozienice was divided into two complexes ("dachas") "Grabowy Las" and "Kozienice". After World War I and regaining independence, the division of the Forest into three units was maintained, out of which three state forest districts were created: Kozienice, Garbatka and Jedlnia. Larger fellings deviating from the amount of full-time jobs occurred during the German occupation during World War II. As a result of the predatory economy of the occupant, the working hours of use were significantly exceeded, with a simultaneous lack of care for the renewal and care of the tree stands. In addition to the predatory economy of the occupant, significant damage was caused by massive embezzlement of wood by the local population in order to rebuild burnt villages, and illegal cattle grazing, especially in crops. In the first post-war years, further surface and organizational changes took place.
Kozienice Forest District
On December 31, 1991, the Garbatka forest precinct was transferred to the Zwoleń Forest Inspectorate. Since then, the Kozienice Forestry Inspectorate has been functioning as three precincts to this day.