Forest rangers in Croatia have been applying the sustainability principle for centuries, taking significantly less timber from the forest than it grows, so we still have 95 percent of natural forests, pointed out Croatian Forestry (Hrvatske šume) today, on World Forest Day, March 21.
The total area of forests and forest land in Croatia is 2,759,039 hectares, which constitutes 49.3 percent of the country's land area. Of this, 2,097,318 hectares are owned by the state, and 661,721 hectares are privately owned.
The majority of forests owned by the state are managed by Croatian Forestry, which emphasize that the forests are managed systematically and that there is no unplanned felling. "Forest rangers have been applying the sustainability principle in their management for centuries, and therefore take significantly less timber from the forest than it grows. Croatia still has 95 percent of natural forests, which visitors from all over the world admire. These preserved and natural forests were also the basis for later declaration of a series of protected landscapes, special reserves, national parks, and nature parks," they emphasize.
The naturalness of forests, they say, is reflected in the dominance of native flora and fauna, the abundance of endemic species, forest soils, the tradition of natural forest management, stand structure, and numerous other criteria.
World Forest Day is celebrated on the first day of spring, March 21, and this year it is celebrated under the slogan "Forests and Innovations," because innovations allow us to experience forests as never before, say Croatian Forestry. Whether it is because of the renewable and biodegradable properties of wood, they add, or because of new technologies that allow us to see forests from new perspectives and discover dangers that threaten them faster and easier than mere human observation.