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management; and training PFOs and their associations
for qualified safety work in their forests. The basic goal of
the service is to establish and develop small and medium
enterprises in forestry, in turn increasing the share of the
forest sector in the economic and social development of
the Republic of Serbia.
Extensive development of the SME sector in Serbia
had occurred by 2001 when, in the process of restruc-
turing PE
Srbijasume
, staff reductions took place and
former employees were offered the chance to participate
in a social programme to establish SMEs in forest utili-
zation, working as contractors for the PE.
Within the framework of the Forest Sector
Development in Serbia project, marketing analysis and
development methodology has been tested as a possi-
ble approach for the forest advisory service, with the
purpose of identifying possibilities for the establish-
ment and work of SMEs in forestry. Support for SMEs
through financial incentives given to PFOs and their
associations is an ongoing process and represents a
significant field for development of services in forestry,
in particular the private forest sector.
The forest development strategy adopted by the
Government of Serbia in 2006 defined the main goals
and measures for forests and the forestry sector in general
and provides a good framework for the development
of the Forest Law and National Forest Development
Programme 2011-2020. The strategy defines the roles
of the various stakeholders with a special emphasis on
private forests and forestry, as well as the roles of neigh-
bouring sectors and their institutions, cross-sectoral and
international cooperation, forestry education, research
and development and participation.
Based on the requirements of the strategy, a new Forest
Law was adopted in 2010. Public interest in forests is
ties. Training and cooperation with other associations and institutions
is carried out jointly.
It is expected that further development of PFOAs will eventu-
ally lead to the establishment of forest management associations.
The PFOA in Podgorac is considering this possibility and has made
progress with efforts to develop a forest management plan for the
whole associated forest area.
Even though all the existing PFOAs have only been in existence
for the past several years, some of them, such as those in Eastern
Serbia, already represent a good example to other associations and
unorganized forest owners. They perform the following activities:
• Representation of the members’ interests
• Joint work on forest infrastructure
• Joint forest management
• Joint marketing of forest products.
This association has 49 members who own 510 ha of forests. They
are active in charcoal production, timber trade and services in state
forest harvesting as contractors to the public enterprise ‘
Srbijasume
’.
Representatives of these PFOAs have participated in preparing
the Forest Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia and the
National PEFC standard. They have also applied for state financial
incentives for forest road construction and training for their members.
Other associations are less active at the moment. Some have been
established but their members are experiencing communication prob-
lems regarding their activities, while others are building on the experience
of the successful PFOAs in Eastern Serbia and cooperating with them.
In order to enable PFOs to practise sustainable management in
compliance with regulations and their own economic interests, there
is a need for state support to organize activities aimed at advising
and educating forest owners.
The public forest service (PFS) has the authority to conduct
programmes of advisory support. Activities include motivating forest
owners; providing professional and administrative support to PFOAs;
training forest owners’ and associations’ members in sustainable
Charcoal production provides a valuable source of income for private forest owners in Eastern Serbia
Image: MATFW Serbia