Forest Condition Based on National Forest Inventory Data as a Basis for Sustainable Forest Management in Serbia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55779/ng63691Keywords:
forest area, growing stock, National Forest Inventory, Serbia, sustainable forest management, tree species, volume incrementAbstract
This paper analyzes the results of two consecutive National Forest Inventories (NFIs) in the Republic of Serbia. The first NFI was carried out in the field during 2004–2006, and its results were published in 2009 as a monograph. The second NFI was conducted during 2019–2022, and its results were made publicly available in 2024 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia. The analysis focuses on changes in the main indicators of the national forest resources, including forest area, standing timber volume, current annual volume increment, ownership structure and the share of the main tree species in the total growing stock. Although the two inventories differed partly in the treatment of certain land categories, especially forest land and other forest land, a comparative assessment is still possible when the methodological differences are explicitly considered. The results indicate an increase in forest area of 602,556 ha (26.8%), while the combined area of forests and other forest land increased by 390,672 ha. Total standing timber volume increased by 194,483,739 m³ (53.7%), and mean volume per hectare increased by 34.2 m³ ha⁻¹ (21.2%). Current annual volume increment increased by 5,249,728 m³ (57.8%), while increment per hectare increased by 1.0 m³ ha⁻¹ (24.5%). The ownership structure also changed, with private forests increasing their share relative to state-owned forests. The study shows positive trends in forest cover, growing stock and increment, but also highlights the need for continued sustainable management, improvement of private forests, support for mixed stands and careful control of the spread of invasive or highly expansive tree species.
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