The concession system for the use of state forests in Montenegro was introduced twenty years ago in order to encourage the development of the wood industry and to better ensure the supply of this industry with raw materials, but the effect was the opposite and led to the collapse of the forestry system. That is why, as part of the fight against the forestry mafia, an urgent change to that system, which has long been abandoned in Europe, is necessary.
This is what a professor at the Faculty of Biotechnology, doctor of forestry, said in an interview with "Vijesta". Milić Curović.
How do you assess the current state of forests in Montenegro?
If we were to look at parameters such as forest area, biodiversity and the like, then we could say that we are a country rich in forests. On the other hand, if we look at the structure of the forest, the composition, the volume of the wood and the productivity, we cannot be satisfied. All this points to our relationship with the forest over a long period of time.
The main problem, as many state, is the existing model of forest management and concessionary use. What should be changed to make it better?
The concessionary method of using state forests was introduced in our country twenty years ago in order to encourage the development of the wood industry and to better ensure the supply of this industry with raw materials. However, the effect was the opposite. Obtaining cheap raw materials of different quality directed those entities towards the exploitation and trade of raw materials or primarily processed wood. In addition, it led to the collapse of the forestry sector. Numerous problems came to the fore, such as the lack of professional staff, equipment, especially in the sector of forest use, lack of complete planning documentation, insufficient openness of forests, problems with illegal activities and the like. This way of doing business had numerous negative effects on the forests, primarily on the quality and uneven spatial arrangement of fellings, the absence of thinning and sanitary fellings, investments in roads, etc.
This state of affairs requires changes in the management system and organization through changes in the sectoral policy, the Law on Forests and through the new Strategy for the Development of Forests and Forestry.
You are one of the authors of the Forest and Forestry Development Strategy of Montenegro for the period 2023-2028. What does she propose and how far has she come?
The strategy is currently in draft form. Activities to amend the Law on Forests are ongoing. I expect that the finalization of the Strategy will follow the adoption of legal amendments. The Strategy development team is led by prof. Ph.D Milan Medarevic from Belgrade. Five strategic goals have been defined, within which operational goals are grouped together with measures for their achievement and an action plan. Sustainable forest management represents the first strategic goal, and a number of concrete measures for a five-year period that should be undertaken in order to improve the state of forests are given. The fifth goal is aimed at the forestry sector itself and the necessary measures for the recovery of this sector. Other goals concern the forests of protected areas, responses to climate change, as well as the sustainability of activities based on forests. In this way, a strategic approach was reached that is in line with the EU Forest Development Strategy until 2030, on the one hand, and the necessity of improving the current state of forests and forestry in our country, on the other hand.
The previous study was done by Slovenians, but there was no desire or strength to apply it? Is it different now?
The last strategic document was well written and comprehensive from a professional point of view. However, the very first report on the realization of the Forest Development Strategy established a very small percentage of realized activities, so a revised strategy was made. For every strategic document, it is of great importance that clear priorities can be seen from it. This was the reason why the draft of the new strategy defined only five strategic goals with clear and concrete measures for implementation. We are waiting for the reactions of the working group of the Ministry, as well as the inputs that we will receive when the document is open for public inspection. It is extremely important to define an action plan and activities that can realistically be implemented and that can give a satisfactory result.
It is evident that there are not enough experts and that the forestry sector is mostly reduced to lumberjacks, instead of forestry engineers?
The lack of personnel is recognized as one of the basic problems of successful management. There is a very pronounced need for qualified higher education personnel in the field of forestry in order to manage this resource on professional grounds and ensure the durability of use while constantly improving the condition of forests. The document on the reform of the forest management system, prepared by experts from Slovenia, pointed out, among other things, the big problem of lack of personnel and the extremely unfavorable age structure of the existing engineering staff. Also, it should be mentioned the limitations that the Forestry Administration, as a state administration body, cannot employ professional staff who are not citizens of Montenegro. In addition to the model of short-term problem solving through scholarships and the return of personnel educated abroad, we should work on developing educational institutions in the country and creating preconditions for establishing a study program in forestry in Montenegro.
Thousands of cubic meters of wood are taken out of Montenegrin forests every year without any rules and effective control. How does this illegal activity take place in the field? What are the most common types of illegal forest cutting?
There are numerous types of illegal activities in the area of forest use. This is not from yesterday, because in 2009, the first National Action Plan (NAP) was adopted to combat illegal activities in forestry. Much of it is relevant even now. A joint action of several institutions is needed. What can and should be introduced and used are modern ways of tracking the origin of wood from deep wood to the forest road and its further transport, the use of portable devices connected to the central base, etc. The new amendments to the Forestry Act should better define and harmonize evidence of the origin of wood assortments with EU Regulation 995/2010. Strengthening, technical equipment and operationalization of the work competences of all entities participating in control, as well as better intersectoral cooperation, are crucial.
Unregistered felling in private forests is a big problem.
What damages does excessive and unplanned forest cutting cause?
When we talk about state forests, there is also the problem that there were no thinning cuttings, various cultivation cuttings, sanitary cuttings, while the cuttings of mature trees were done in places where it was easier to manipulate. In those places, the intensity of felling was such that a third of our tall forests have a broken structure. The structure of our forests is extremely unfavorable, and the average wood volume is far from the potential of the habitat. All this, in addition to the climatic extremes we are witnessing, contributes to the processes of physiological weakening of trees, drying of forests, more intense pest attacks, greater vulnerability to forest fires, etc.
When we talk about felling in private forests, which is about 50 percent, all of them are unplanned, because there are no management plans for private forests. Due to the lack of more precise data on private forests, monitoring the use of these forests is also difficult.
According to some claims, the highest quality technical wood is cut for firewood, and especially for pellets. What is your knowledge?
It is enough to see the export balance after the ban on the export of roundwood and the fact that over 90 percent of the export of wood products consists primarily of sawn timber and wood pellets.
Do you think that the "war on the forestry mafia", as Prime Minister Dritan Abazović called it, will yield results?
We had to start from somewhere. Wood is a bulky commodity. Mechanization is used for manipulation and transport. Better control of the work of entities that own these funds, control on the roads, better intersectoral cooperation can certainly give results. However, this should not be just one action, but should become a constant practice.
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