Question

If I establish an agroforestry system, can I be sure to be given the permission of harvesting the wood in the long term?

Answer 1

This will depend on your local legislation. In some countries, if trees are deemed of high conservation value, the area might become a protected area and thus the timber might be illegal to harvest.

In most cases this is quite easy to avoid though, by clearly registering the agroforestry system for agricultural or forestry purposes.

Answer 2

Best to speak with local authorities. It will depend of the species you chose.
Usually timber species are managed for wood production and harvesting wood should not be a problem (main purpose of the plantation).
However, in many places, if you want to develop an agroforestry/forestry plantation you have to have certain plan and permits (also needed to reclassify your land-use if you need to apply for financial support). Some species may not be allowed to plant (e.g. classified as invasive) and others may have specific legislation of conservation value.

Choose a list of species, go and check with local authorities if they have special legislation.
But no one can guarantee what happens in future legislation ... :)

One thing I have observed over the years is that many farmers, when establishing an agroforestry system, planning to harvest the trees, they change their perception of value of trees. Many farmers start seeing trees as part of the agricultural land, and then their value on the landscape become more interesting than the money/profitability you can get by removing them... In the end agroforestry gets embodied in the farmer and becomes hard to imagine the farmland without trees...

Answer 3

There are local regulations as explained in the other answers, but there is also the EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation), which forbids to commercialize in Europe products coming from an area that the regultation considers as a "forest" (whether in Europe or elsewhere). Luckily, agroforestry is not forest.... but it might appear as a forest when seen from a satellite! So have a look at question Might moratoria on deforestation prevent me from returning from agroforestry to my current approaches? for more details.