engleski

Energy Wood Production from Private Forests – nonindustrial private forest owners' perceptions and attitudes in Croatia and Serbia

Producing energy wood from private forests in Croatia and Serbia is a challenging issue considering the present poor state of private forests in these countries. Private forests in these countries are highly fragmented in small plots with low productivity and owned by a large number of small-scale private forest owners (PFOs) who show lack of interests in managing their forests. The study conducted surveys among 232 PFOs in these two countries to find out their perceptions and attitudes related to energy wood production. The other objective of the study was to provide policy recommendations to the public authorities and professionals in these countries for improving the pre-conditions for energy wood mobilization from private forests. The study found that the PFOs perceived the issues such as underdeveloped market and low price for energy wood, absence of energy wood related policies, fragmented private forest areas, older PFOs’ lack of interests in energy wood production, and difficulties in getting bank loan for energy wood related business activities as barriers against energy wood production from private forests in a commercial way. However, the PFOs were quite positive in their atttiudes towards producing energy wood from their forests and they considered the possibilities of creating new jobs and commercial opportunities as strengths of energy wood production. The dimensions of the PFOs’ perceptions and attitudes related to energy wood production showed two key dimensions – institutionalists and enthusiasts. The variables to explain the PFOs’ attitudes to energy wood production were different between the two countries and they indicated the differences in the country level circumstances for energy wood production. The results appeared to be relevant for understanding the key issues that the PFOs perceived as barriers against developing a functioning energy wood market in their countries. When private forestry related institutions in these countries are emerging, the existing public forestry institutions need to play an important role for improving the preconditions for mobilizing energy wood from private forests.

energy wood ; private forest owner ; perception ; Attitude ; Croatia ; Serbia

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