Evaluating Environmentally Sustainable Production Practices in Rural Areas
Authors:   University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics, Croatia, Šneler Filip , Brcković Gordana ,   University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics, Croatia, Mjeda Trina ,   University North, Croatia
Published: February 2022

Forests and forestry are the ecological and economic infrastruc­ture of every state. The EU strategy for the forest-based sector is particularly related to rural development, since, in such areas, forests are mostly spread, thus representing an opportunity for more balanced development, or in oth­er words - survival of rural areas. Croatia is no exemption. The goal of forest management in the Republic of Croatia is the sustainable and harmonious use of all forest functions and the permanent improvement of their condition, by promoting environmentally sustainable production practices in such a way that the local or rural environment has financial benefits. Looking at forests as perfect factories, ranging from the production of wood pulp as raw materials, oxygen and food, water purifiers, carbon tanks and all the way to the intan­gible and generally useful functions of forests, it is necessary to observe their all-encompassing importance. We are facing global climate change, which significantly influences the restoration and erection of new forest stands, that is one of the most important procedures for sustainable forest management in Croatia. Current techniques and knowledge that are being applied contribute to discouraging results, therefore it is crucial to introduce and promote new environmentally friendly practices, aiming to increase the productive function of forest land and forest as an ecosystem. In accordance with the sustaina­ble development of forest land, research was conducted in the lowland part of Sisak-Moslavina County in Croatia. The aim of the research is to study the cost-effectiveness and compare the adaptation of new methods and practices of reforestation, with the end result of the forested area as a production unit, and that was conducted working on two land sections. On the surface of the first section, which was previously chemically prepared, a classic renovation was performed by sowing acorns employing a spreader. The acorn was collect­ed by the local population. Processing of the second section included planting seedlings, while the section was previously mechanically prepared by grinding biomass and an integral method of soil preparation in rows with a spacing of 3 m. The internal planting distance between the plants was 0.80 - 1.0 m, and work was carried out with the help of external contractors, the local popula­tion. The use of new environmentally sustainable technologies has resulted in 29% higher financial costs of forestation. However, using new practices com­pared to the classical ones, the financial viability in terms of economic profit of the rural area was determined. The application of new silvicultural practices is initially more expensive, but results in a shorter period of time to achieve tar­geted results, while the increase in costs refers to the involvement of the local community that participated in the works.