Organization of Private Forest Owners in Serbia Compared to Austria, Slovenia and other Central European Countries

Abstract

"Big percent of private forests in Austria (80%), Slovenia (72%) and Serbia (50%), and big number of private forest owners indicate on importance and problems in sustainable private forest management in all countries. High fragmentation of private forests, big number of private forest owners, small forest average area means that the objectives of the forestry management are difficult to be achieved. One of the most important priorities of forestry in Serbia is the need to reorganise the private forest sector, with the aim of accomplishing, through participation and co-operation, the concept of modern forestry with the sustainable management of private forests. The need to change the existing system of support to the private forest sector is evident, because of its inefficiency and the significant changes both in the public administration, and in the environment. Within the framework of the private forest sector in Serbia to date there has been no organised approach of the State, i.e. its organs, to addressing the issues of private forest owners. For this reason, this study is primarily directed to the research of the possibilities of promoting the co-operation of the public administration and private forest owners. The study deals with regulatory frameworks of the organisation of private forest sector, institutional frameworks and professional capacities, frameworks of forest policy, as well as financial instruments and the means of implementation of the major objectives. By the system analysis, the organisational issues and their causes have been identified; the basic shortcomings of the organisation of the current system and the derived problems have been defined in relation to the current legislation and stakeholders."