ZAGREB, 21 March 2021- The International Day of Forests is observed on 21 March, and this year the topic is "Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being" as forest restoration and sustainable forest management help to fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, the Croatian Forests company said.
The state-owned forest management company said that forests should be given great attention because they were globally endangered due to poor management, fires, disturbed water regimes, bacteria, fungi, acid rain, air, soil, and water pollution.
It warned that global forest loss would continue due to climate change, despite global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Forests and forest area make up half of Croatia's land area
There is no deforestation or fear of forest disappearance in Croatia because forests and forest areas are managed according to a forest management plan, which is adapted for a period of 10 years, the Croatian Forests said.
"It is essential that wood resources are used to the extent that will not endanger their survival, and because of that, less wood is cut in Croatia annually than it grows. In this way, the natural balance is continuously maintained," the company added.
Forests and forest areas in Croatia make up 49.7% of the country's land area. Of that, 76% is owned by the state, and private forest owners own 24%.
The main feature of forests in Croatia is that 95% are natural, unlike many European ones that have been turned into plantations and monocultures, the Croatian Forests underscored.
Organized forestry has existed for more than two and a half centuries in Croatia. In Croatian forests, there are many rare plant species and all three major European predators -- the brown bear, wolf, and lynx, the Croatian Forests company said.
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