Slovenia

Prepared by Aleksander Golob

Forest cover

Forests in Slovenia cover 1 094 000 ha or 54% of the country, ranking Slovenia among the most forested countries in Europe. Slovenian forests are diverse and have an average growing stock of over 200 m³ per hectare. Conifers dominate on 30% of the forest area, mixed forests on 40% and broad-leaved forests on 30%.

Forest resources and management

Ownership structure of Slovene forests

After the 'denationalization' process in Slovenia is complete, 80% of forest land will be privately owned, distributed among nearly 250 000 forest land owners. The state will own approximately 15% of forest lands. The remaining 5% will be owned by communities, the Catholic church and various cooperatives. The proportion of non-farm forest owners will increase. The average size of private forest property will be smaller, but there will also be larger, private forest holdings. The proportion of public forests will be comparable to that in Norway and Austria which have, besides Portugal, the smallest proportion of public forests in Europe.

The ownership situation (there are approximately 250 000 forest owners in Slovenia) renders forest management in private forests difficult, but favours biological and structural diversity. For owners with small holdings, the forest's significance is decreased and interest in the cultivation of a high-quality forest is minimal. In addition, owners are usually unqualified to perform forest work. A small ownership structure also means that district foresters have to cooperate with a large number of people, making forest extension difficult. Most owners will not respond to media promotion or attend educational events or programmes. This type of owner is easier to reach through personal contact with a forester. This makes forest-extension work time consuming. It also makes extension work difficult, as the typical knowledge level of owners is lower than if blocks were larger and cared for by owners with sufficiently large holdings to have a vested interest in improving their knowledge level, skill in implementing forest management operations, and acquisition of suitable equipment.

Forest management in Slovenia is based on Close to Nature Forestry (CNF). Using CNF principles, Slovenia's foresters strive to ensure that the ecological, social and economic functions of forests are fulfilled harmoniously. CNF has a proven record for, and continuing tradition of, combining conservation of nature with economic gain. Over the long term, application of CNF principles is, therefore, considered to be advantageous to private owners' interests and to the ecological stability of the countryside.

Forest management in multipurpose forests is more complex than that solely for wood production. Silvicultural measures must be planned, temporally and spatially synchronized, and activities must be carefully implemented. The CNF orientation encourages use of natural regeneration and only moderate, small-scale interventions. Clear-cuts are not used in Slovenia, thus there is always a residual stand that must be left undamaged.

Historical precedents to extension

Pre-World War II

There is a long tradition of sustainable forestry in Slovenia. Within the boundaries of present-day Slovenia, a series of forest ordinances were issued. The first, the Ortenburg Forest Ordinance, dates back to 1406, (Anko, 1985a), and regulates hunting rights.

Wood became important in the 16th century when many mines and associated industries appeared. Forest ordinances from that time tried to assure protection and maintenance of forests that provided necessary building timber for mines, fuel for blast-furnaces and forges, as well as for water rakes, bridges and rafts on which iron and salt were carried (Anko, 1987, 1989).

The first forest management plans were made at the end of the 18th century. An original method for assessing forest growth and managing uneven-aged stands was developed in Slovenia, the Control Method, that allowed for understanding forest development qualitatively and quantitatively. This method has been in use for more than a 100 years in some parts of the country.

The Forest Ordinance for Carniola, issued in what is now the central part of Slovenia in 1771 (Anko, 1985b), was an important step forward in terms of disseminating the technical knowledge required for successful forest management. This ordinance can be considered a foundation for modern forestry extension in Slovenia, and was translated into Slovene about 1824, and published in a periodical for farmers and craftsmen in 1849.

The Forest Ordinance for Carniola, also called the Theresian Forest Ordinance, was written to assure better forest management in a situation when forests were degraded, mismanaged and the shortage of wood acute. Its restrictions were binding on all who had the right to use forests, but especially for lords who were expected to provide a good example to bondsmen, as it was anticipated that bondsmen would adopt the practices used by the lords.

The Carniola ordinance was based on the rule that for each forest the yield should be estimated and the amount of wood the forest can sustain determined. In this ordinance, were also precise regulations concerning regeneration and cutting techniques, including the preservation of saplings, the optimal time for cutting and use of different tree species and forms of timber, as well as a ban on using forests for pasture, a ban on building fires in forests, and instructions on how to combat forest fires.

In 1853 farmers, who had previously only had rights to cut timber for their needs in the forests of lords, became forest owners. By 1873 their individual holdings combined accounted for 52% of the total forests in present-day Slovenia. An additional 8% of forest land was in common village property, 30% was held as private estates, 6% was church owned and 4% were owned by the state. Some exceptional foresters were employed by the owners of the great forest estates, e.g., Hufnagl in Koûevje, Schollmayer in Sneûnik, but there was a lack of professional support in farm forests.

In the second half of the 19th centuary timber prices rose, due to better transport conditions and new markets, farm labour rose concurrently. As a result, farm forests were over-exploited. Many farm forests were completely over cut. Under such circumstances the Society of Foresters of Carniola and the Littoral decided to publish a manual entitled: Instructions for managing small forest properties (Guzelj, 1903), hoping this would improve the situation.

Another important forestry text-book was published just after the first Forest Act was adopted in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, of which Slovenia was a part after World War I. The text-book, Farm Forestry (Miklavzic, 1933), contained a broad range of general information intended to help farmers manage their forest sustainably. The chapters covered:

· how forests live and grow;

· forest functions and their significance;

· threats to the forest;

· cultivation and exploitation of farm forests - (a) artificial regeneration, (b) silvicultural systems, (c) forest tending, (d) advice for harvesting and selling timber;

· important regulations from the Forest Act for every-day-use;

· seven cardinal sins for a farm forest; and

· forest supervision, regional forest referees, forest nurseries and other matters.

The socialist period

After World War II, about 20% of private forests were nationalized, Nevertheless, two-thirds of Slovenian forests were still privately owned, the average private forest holdings were reduced to half the size they were at the beginning of the century (Winkler, 1995).

Average private forest holding in Slovenia from 1902-1990 (Winkler, 1995)

Year	Average private forest holding (ha)	Index (%)
1902	5.6	100
1939	4.5	80
1951	3.8	68
1968	3.0	54
1990	2.7	48

Immediately after the war, new regulations obliged farmers to sell timber to the state. In the 1960s, farmers were compelled to be members of cooperatives engaged both in agriculture and forestry. In the 1970s, cooperatives were separated into two categories - 'forestry only' and 'agriculture only'.

The forestry cooperatives were incorporated into 14 management enterprises. Following forest management plans, foresters employed in these enterprises marked trees for felling in both public and private forests. In private forests, owners retained the right to carry out all operational silvicultural activities, felling and skidding. About 65-70% of the selling price of timber was paid to forest owners. Remaining revenues were used to pay staff salaries, finance transportation, road construction and maintenance, and provide funds for silvicultural activities.

Under the system, many foresters tried to work with and educate forest owners, in a kind of ad hoc extension work. However, as owners felt repressed by not being able to make their own decisions on the sale of forest products from their land, the relationship between foresters and forest owners was strained. The management system collapsed in the late 1980s when farmers began to sell timber on their own. This experience was, however, retained by foresters. The potential for the success for one-on-one engagement with owners, where policy-level decisions are not contrary to the efforts of field level personnel to promote sound management, was duly noted.

The Forest Act of 1993

A new forest act was adopted in 1993 in the newly established Republic of Slovenia. It derives from the new constitution which mandates that private property rights be fully respected. Nevertheless, the 1993 Forest Act restricts use of private property. Section 5 of the act states, "the rights of ownership to forests shall be exercised in such a manner as ensures their ecological, social, and productive functions. The owner of a forest must therefore:

· manage the forest in accordance with regulations, management plans and administrative acts issued on the basis of this act;

· allow free access to and movement in the forest; and

· allow beekeeping, hunting and recreational gathering of fruits, herbal plants, mushrooms and wild animals in accordance with regulations."

Under the Forest Act, forest management plans are made for all forests irrespective of ownership. All forests must be managed within the limitations and guidelines of these plans. Owners of forests, however, have the right and are encouraged to participate in preparation of forest management and wildlife management plans. Their needs, proposals and requests will be respected as much as possible, consistent with ecosystem limitations and legal restrictions.

An important feature of the Forest Act is the provision that forest owners can utilize their forests after obtaining an administrative order, issued by the Slovenian Forest Service (SFS), on the basis of a silviculture plan, and after prior consultation and joint selection, e.g., the forester, together with the landowner, of trees for possible felling. The order describes: required silviculture work including planting and tending of saplings and thicket stages, required protection work, the structure of trees to be harvested, guidelines for felling and hauling timber and the time period for which the order is valid.

The importance of this, from the perspective of extension, lies in the fact that every owner must contact the forester before beginning work. In this contact, foresters can convey a great deal of information to the owner and subsequent work is typically performed to a higher quality level than would otherwise have been the case. The disadvantage of this systems is that more foresters are needed as individual contacts are time consuming.

An additional negative consequence of the requirement for landowners to obtain an administrative order prior to implementing work is that this requirement can be perceived as a distrust of land owners, which is especially unfortunate where they are well-educated or well-qualified to do their own forest work. Given the uncomfortable relationship between foresters and landowners during the socialist period, described earlier, it is highly desirable to move towards approaches that rely on positive inducement, and in which foresters respect for landowners is not suspect. In spite of such concerns it is significant that there have been few complaints by landowners since this system was implemented. Thus this system, and therefore the opportunity for foresters to engage landowners one-on-one prior to the implementation of work, will remain intact for the foreseeable future. Personal contacts between foresters and landowners will continue as an important component of Slovenia's approach to extension.

Forestry extension goals and examples

The important factors that determine Slovenian's approach to extension derive most evidently from:

· the ownership structure of forest land;

· the national goals for Slovenia's forest land, reflected in the CNF emphasis prescribed in the Forest Act;

· the legal structure mandating landowner contact with foresters prior to the implementation of work in forests; and

· the lessons foresters learned from past experience, especially that economic and ecological benefits of forests must be addressed together, and sociocultural sensitivity should be shown.

Farmers

It is important to note that farms have not only a production role but also a social role, and are important for maintaining the cultural landscape. Thus, the development needs of farms has a social value and must be respected when setting goals and measures for the management of farm forests.

A pre-eminent extension need among farmers is the need for improved safety in harvest extraction techniques. Slovenian farmers have more accidents and fatalities during harvest and other forest management activities compared to other European countries (Medved, 1994).

Direct contacts with farmers are maintained by district foresters. It is more efficient for district foresters to interact with farmers as their holdings are typically larger, foresters make return visits more frequently and the rapport between foresters and farmers is better. Additionally, the skill and knowledge level of farmers is high. Thus, one-on-one interactions, in conjunction with the foresters other duties, are an effective way for information to be transferred. Farmers can also be reached more easily, because of their generally greater interest level, through workshops and classes, where topics of current interest, and state-of-the-art techniques and equipment can be demonstrated.

Practising foresters

Managing forests is a complex and demanding task that can be successfully accomplished only by forestry experts. Continuing education of practising foresters is essential to maintaining high standards of forest care.

A particularly important recent programme, arising because of the additional education requirements demanded of foresters in the 1993 Forest Act, is the continued education of district foresters. District foresters, who had only finished forestry high-school, were required to enter the Forestry Faculty at the University of Ljubljana for an additional two years of study. Their continued education is important, especially because district foresters have direct contact with forest owners and prepare silvicultural plans, select trees for cutting, and determine silvicultural activities, all tasks for which a high proficiency in forestry is needed.

Additional goals of continuing education, since 1993, have focused in particular on improvement of the education of foresters, especially in the sense of broadening their communication skills, and preparation and implementation of a forestry extension programme.

Citizen groups

An important extension task for any country is educating young people to appreciate their natural heritage and understand what values can be derived from it. To this end, programmes aimed at school children, are deemed especially important. Additionally, numerous environmental and politically oriented organizations have interest in the forests and hence, forest management activities. Periodic programmes are provided for these groups.

Direct interaction with forest owners

Interaction with landowners is an important extension tool. This approach depends upon a dialogue between a district forester and a forest owner. A dialogue is compelled by law, as forest owners must contact district foresters when they decided to cut trees, and may themselves be contacted when district foresters notice that their land needs attention. The quality of the dialogue is largely dependent upon the technical and communication skills of the forester.

The groundwork was laid for this dialogue in the previous (socialist) system. In spite of some rationalization, most district foresters work in the same districts as they did before, and are well acquainted with local conditions. Many district foresters know many owners personally as well as the history of their forests.

In the dialogue with owners, depending on the situation, significant knowledge, skills and information can be transferred. The type of information conveyed is typically related to stand level, silvicultural and ecological interactions. It usually includes such things as the effects that the removal of trees could cause to forest diversity and ecological as well as social forest functions, principles of selection thinning, regeneration techniques and responses of different tree species to light conditions, the principles of overall stability of forest ecosystems, preventive measures against insects and diseases and the growth potential of the forest. Skills most frequently discussed are specific felling techniques, especially in the case of 'dangerous' trees, planting techniques and principles of tending young growth and thickets.

Additionally, there are provisions to provide owners with very specific management, organizational, economic and marketing assistance, advice and information. For example, when owners are farmers without suitable skidding equipment, the forester will help them determine which farmers in the area possess tractors, or other equipment, to do the job. The forester may also identify, if desired by the owner, which forestry enterprises interested in acquiring timber are active in the region. The forester can give owners general information on current market prices for different timber products. District foresters also take care to see that owners receive subsidy payments for work meeting the appropriate criteria.

Workshops, seminars and classes

Workshops and seminars are highly effective approaches, but presuppose a target audience sufficiently interested in attending them. As Slovenia has a large forest owner population that does not meet this criteria, care must be taken to both draw in these currently uninterested owners, while proceeding with programmes for those who are. Topics selected must address the interests of groups who will actually attend. One way to address the needs of interested groups is for forestry education to be more comprehensive, to include a new programme for forest owners and forest workers, as well as upgraded programmes for forestry experts. Extension is sufficiently important that subsidization is proposed to develop programmes adapted to the specific needs of forest owners. Many workshops are currently conducted each year under existing frameworks.

Mass media

Newspapers, radio and television are valuable tools to disseminate information about upcoming events or important information, such as changes in forest laws. They also can be used to generate interest in forestry activities, encouraging greater participation by owners and other relevant groups. Finally, well-prepared materials can inform the public about wildlife-forestry interactions and the importance of forest protection.

Governmental agencies

Numerous governmental organizations are active in conducting extension activities. Of paramount importance is the Slovene Forest Service (SFS), whose role is discussed below. The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (Forest Department), the Ministry of Environment and Physical planning (Agency for Protection of Nature), the Fund for Farming Land and Forests of the Republic of Slovenia, and the Forestry Institute of Slovenia all work both cooperatively and independently in extension activities. Additionally, the Forestry Department of the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana is state-funded but operates with academic freedom and also is active in extension and continuing education activities, working independently and in cooperation with other organizations.

The Slovene Forest Service

With the 1993 Forest Act the Slovene Forest Service was established for the purpose of caring for all forests in the country. Its funds derive from the general budget of the Republic of Slovenia. Its main tasks are: monitoring the state and development of forests, making forest management and silviculture plans, educating and advising forest owners, deciding on administrative matters as a public authority and overseeing operational activities in the forest that are co-financed from the budget.

The SFS is hierarchically organized and has a central unit, 14 regional units, 94 local units and 430 districts. The SFS is managed by the director, but also has a council comprised of representatives of the councils of regional units, the founders (Government), educational and research organizations in the field of forestry, and forest owners. The council decides on forest and wildlife management plans, adopts the work programme for the SFS, determines financial transactions and approves its final accounts and reports.

The central unit coordinates the functioning of the SFS throughout Slovenia. The central unit prepares the programme of forest investments and activities needed, including the required subsidies to implement them. The central unit is comprised of five professional forestry departments:

· Forest and Forested Landscape Planning;
· Forest Protection and Silviculture;
· Forest Technology;
· Wildlife; and
· Forestry Extension and Public Relations.

Each of the first four departments is responsible for coordinating forestry extension with the regional units in its field of specialization. The Department of Forestry Extension and Public Relations, however, very specifically carries out extension work. These tasks include: monitoring conditions in the countryside, particularly of farms, monitoring relations with forest owners and the general public (public relations), influencing public opinion in connection with forests and forestry, collaborating with education institutions to promote knowledge of forest ecosystems and forestry among children, studying methods of communication and organizing related workshops for the SFS staff and publicizing the activities of the SFS.

Regional units of the SFS are a link between the central unit and local units. Compared to the central unit, regional units are in greater contact with the problems existing in each region and are more active in promoting forestry extension. Each regional unit consists of four sections with the same titles as departments 1-4 of the central unit, employing similar specialists.

The employees of the local units have direct contact with forest owners as well as other forest users. They are guided by forestry engineers who have broad ecological and forest management related knowledge and are able to respond to most problems related to forest issues in the communities. Everyday work with people and the forest, however, is done primarily by district foresters. Their areas average 2 500 ha.

The higher levels of organization of the SFS act to support the extension work of district foresters. Questions, more complicated than those typically handled by district foresters, connected with regulations, planning, forest policy or market situation are usually referred to forest engineers on local units. Forest engineers on regional units, however, may be called upon to explain to the owners very specific questions concerning road construction and maintenance, forest protection, forest technology, wildlife and hunting. Thus, within the SFS there is a comprehensive network of experts that can address the concerns of forest owners, using a strategy of initial contacts by district foresters, and then tapping additional expertise as needed.

Examples of extension activities in 1995

School groups

Foresters accompanied 28 outings into nearby forests for children attending kindergarten, and arranged talks about forests afterwards, illustrated by slides. Some of the trips were organized on forest nature trails which are maintained by the SFS with the help of sponsors, mostly forest enterprises and local communities.

Foresters participated in 170 nature days, dedicated to forests. The programme was enriched by on site lectures and explanations. They also organized 41 lectures on forests and accompanied 25 school trips into the forest. However, the most extensive work by foresters was to provide guidance on forest nature trails involving 471 school classes. Foresters also participated in the arrangement of school botanical gardens as well as in the organization of exhibitions dedicated to forests. SFS offered an award for the best drawing and the best article with a forest theme. School children were encouraged to prepare new forest nature trails together with foresters, and they participated in a regeneration project in a forest destroyed by fire.

Citizen groups

There were 325 events prepared for public organizations. The most important of these were guided excursions into Slovenian forests, attended by groups of foresters, nature conservation groups from abroad, or by tourists who were especially interested in virgin forests. Another important series of events were the presentation of forest management principles and the role of the SFS to mayors of local communities.

The mass media was used to disseminate information. During 1995 there were 42 radio and 12 television broadcasts made to the general public on forests and forestry. SFS foresters also wrote 133 forest related articles, predominantly for local newspapers. Concurrent to the permanent exhibitions on forests and forestry, arranged at some local units of the SFS, were several exhibitions of forest photography.

Forest owners

In the first years of the existence of the new forestry policy in Slovenia it was very important to inform forest owners of new forestry legislation and the organization of the SFS. A number of well-attended rallies were organized at which foresters explained the system of subsidies, forest management planning, and other matters important to forest owners. Much information was mailed to forest owners and there were 61 radio broadcasts on a variety of topics including some highly technical information on, for example, what to do in the event of bark-beetle infestation, ice-break, or other disturbances.

Bearing in mind that the number of accidents occurring while performing forest work in Slovenia is extremely high, especially among forest owners with small holdings poorly equipped for forest work, the SFS began to organize safety courses for felling trees and skidding. In 1995, eight such courses were held in close cooperation between the SFS and the Forestry High School which provided professional instructors. The courses were free of charge and were well-attended.

Forest owners also showed great interest in attending silviculture and forest protection courses. Since these are much less complicated to organize (only SFS staff were involved) they were more numerous than the tree-felling courses. More than 100 forest owners successfully finished this programme and received a certificate upon completion of the course. Foresters in the SFS also organized excursions into other regions of Slovenia for interested forest land owners. These excursions are very important for broadening the owners horizons and knowledge.

In connection with the courses described above the SFS published, together with the Association of Slovenian foresters, two handbooks. Ten thousand copies were printed. The first one was entitled, 'Tending and Protection of a Young Forest', and the second 'Tree-Felling Work Safety'. Both were well received. Current plans call for publication of a continuing series of forest extension handbooks.

Practising foresters

The SFS, organized more than 100 lectures, workshops and seminars for its staff, in cooperation with the University of Ljublijana, in the field of forest management planning, silviculture, harvesting, nature conservation, wildlife management, computer science and communication skills. Lectures were given primarily by specialists employed by the SFS. The communication training courses, and those on the organization of workshops, as well as other similar courses were conducted by specialized private firms.

Relationship between Slovene Forestry Service implementation and legislation

There is always a delicate balance between the rights of owners and the legitimate concerns of the public. Clearly this relationship was not satisfactory during the socialist period, at least from the perspective of the many farmers, generating bad feelings that persist to this day. On the other hand, given the highly fragmented ownership of Slovenia's forest land, without some government control, and government assistance, the outcome would likely be highly uncoordinated activities resulting in an unsatisfactory forest infrastructure, for example fragmented road networks, over-cut forests contrary to the long-term interests of the owners, and an environment unsatisfactory to the public. There is general recognition of the relationship between private and public interests in Slovenia, hence there is currently little danger that legislation contrary to the efforts of promoting sound forestry will be introduced or passed. The long history of Close to Nature Forestry in Slovenia and the widespread approval of forestry as it is currently practiced, contribute to the favourable legislative environment within which Forest Extension is carried out.

Non-governmental organizations

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) act in several ways. Environmental NGOs stress the need for conserving forests and using them wisely. Marketing cooperatives and private organizations help forest owners sell their timber by providing them with timber exchange figures and organizing forest product sales.

Environmental organizations

While numerous environmental organizations exist in Slovenia, none focus particularly on forest management activities, preferring instead to direct their activities at such projects as ongoing plans for highway construction, the safety and operation of the nuclear power plant in Krsko, and pending plans for additional dams to supply hydropower. It is a testament to the quality of forestry practiced in Slovenia that there are no significant or ongoing disputes with environmental organizations.

Marketing cooperatives

Currently, there are around 160 cooperatives in Slovenia. Their activity focuses on marketing agricultural and forest products. Several conduct harvesting and silviculture tasks to a limited extent.

There are many advantages to cooperation between forest owners, primarily more efficient management in the form of combined efforts to facilitate implementation of forest management activities, including the construction of forest roads, competing for forestry projects subsidized by the state on the basis of tenders, marketing and selling timber, collecting and buying non-wood forest products, producing forest seedlings, decreasing the expense of forestry equipment, transfer of knowledge among landowners, and representation of landowner interests when conflicts with other forest users appear.

From an extension standpoint cooperatives offer the possibility of significantly improving opportunities to reach owners with small tracts of land. Extension approaches can shift from the emphasis on one-on-one interchanges as forest management needs are identified, to educational programmes and workshops aimed at groups with common interests. Where landowners can be persuaded to join cooperatives, extension can be more efficiently conducted.

Machine circles

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food supports owner efforts to organize machine circles where, well-equipped and qualified farmers offer services to neighbours. The extent of services for which no tax must be paid is regulated. This form of implementing forestry work is quite successful and spreading quickly.

Traditionally, more than 90% of felling and skidding was done by owners themselves, or their neighbours. Thirty-seven machine circles have been established, and have at the moment 1 500 members. These circles will formalize assistance among farmers and clearly define their standing in the forestry enterprises for taxation purposes. In addition, a catalogue of costs of agricultural and forestry services and equipment is now published every year. The prices of services between neighbours stated in this catalogue can prevent possible misunderstandings.

Forest landowner associations

Presently, the organization of forest owners is rather poor. At the national level their interests are represented by several political parties, however, their effect is diluted as these parties represent other interests as well. The Association of Forest Owners, whose property was nationalized after World War II, is active, but their activities are limited primarily to the denationalization process. Recently, following the Austrian model, an act was prepared that would re-establish the Chamber of Agriculture, organized also on a regional level. Conceptually, the members of the Chamber would represent the land proprietors and all agricultural and forestry enterprises. It is uncertain if the Chamber will really represent the owners' interests, however, as the enterprises could, in many cases, hold opposing views.

Costs and benefits of extension within the SFS

The cost of extension within the SFS is relatively high. It amounts to 12% of the total value of the timber cut in Slovenia. These costs are reasonable, however, when it is understood that in the long term the extension activity of the SFS should result in: lowering the costs of forest regeneration by enhancing the natural regeneration capacity of forest ecosystems, improvement of the quality of forest products by promoting thinning and forest tending, assuring the maintenance of ecological and social forest functions by keeping forest ecosystems stable and by improving their species and structural diversity. Additionally, very significant costs to society can be averted where accidents and fatalities are reduced on forest lands through increased attention to safety in forest activities. Thus, these funds can be seen as an investment in society and the ecosystems that sustain society, not as an expense.

Forestry extension activities aimed at providing information to owners with small holdings may result in their joining cooperatives. This would result in a gradual decrease in the number of SFS foresters required. This will promote further cost-saving in the long term. Many of the goals and practices of the SFS are aimed at better understanding the goals and practices of forest management and forest management planning. Thus, additional rationalization may also be reached in these fields, providing additional long-term savings. There will continue to be a need for permanent field-level foresters in both public and private forests. The question is only how many will be needed and which activities should be emphasized. The success of today's extension activities will have a bearing on this issue.

Incentives

The system of incentives is based on the conviction that forest owners who follow the management guidelines of the SFS, contribute to the stability of forests and to the fulfillment of ecological and recreational forest functions. These forest functions are beneficial for everybody, so tax-payers money is used to improve the management of private forests.

In the last two years of implementation of the incentives system it was evident that incentives were of crucial importance for achieving the goals of forest management. Forest owners, for example, who were not offered incentives during this time carried out only 8% of the required silvicultural activities. Owners, who were offered incentives carried out about 80%. It was also evident that forest owners were not only unwilling to invest in long-term silvicultural activities, they were also not prepared to share costs for extension assistance. The reasons are the general unpopularity of foresters that persists from the previous system and that agriculture and forestry are becoming less profitable.

Financing

Forest owners are responsible for carrying out all necessary activities in their forests. The public forest service is paid from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia, as well as a refund for reduced yield obtained from protection forests and forests with a special purpose. The following forest work is also subsidized:

Forest regeneration

· artificial regeneration;

· saplings paid in whole;

· natural regeneration, 30% of costs;

· forest tending, 20-40% of costs (or according to the terms of the public tender for thinning pole stands);

· measures against forest fire, up to 70% of costs;

· against herbivores, material plus 30% of other costs; and

· against diseases and insects, 30%, or materials plus 20% of other costs.

Maintenance of wildlife habitat

· 30-70% of costs;

· renewal of depleted forests, according to the terms of public tender;

· forest renewal after forest fires and the rehabilitation or renewal of damaged forests - saplings plus 20% of costs;

· maintenance of forest roads, 35% of the cost; and

· investments (forest roads, plantations), according to the terms of the public tender.

The level of co-financing depends on the ecological and social functions of the forest, and on the difficulty of the natural conditions for agricultural and forestry production. Owners of more than 100 ha of production forest (there are very few such owners in Slovenia) are not entitled to co-financing.

Forestry extension work in the future will depend on the financing of the SPS, which has been criticized for being too large and costly. If the SFS survives, it will have to intensify its forestry extension work in organizing more courses and raising the level of interest among owners by inviting them to cooperate in the process of forest management and silviculture planning.

On the other hand, forest owners need to better organize themselves and cooperate to increase their effectiveness. It is increasingly obvious that prices obtained for some forest products do not cover costs. Innovative approaches and greater cooperation will be required to sustain the vitality of Slovenia's forests.

Summary

Successful forest management is costly, but has both public and private benefits. Informing land owners on efficient forestry techniques is a significant key to reducing costs. Slovenia's approach to extension is adapted to its unique pattern of land ownership and its commitment to multipurpose, sustainable forestry embodied by the Close to Nature approach.

Current extension informs forest owners about the possibilities and responsibilities associated with their forest land. Strengthening knowledge to assist forest landowners in the transition to a market economy, by adjusting practices to the present economic conditions, and gaining skill in marketing products, is another aim of forest extension education. Worker safety is a paramount concern and major focus.

District foresters, supported by a competent staff of resource specialists, will continue to be the first and most significant contact. Outreach to school groups will take on a greater role, as the duties of all of the newly restructured organizations are stabilized. Continuing improvement in the quality and quantity of continuing education will be increased, as cooperation between the Forest High School, the University, and the Forest Institute continues to develop.

References

Anko, B. 1985a. Ortenburg Forest Ordinance. Forestry Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana.

Anko, B. 1985b. Forest Ordinance for Carniola. Forestry Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana.

Anko, B. 1987. Styrian Interim Forest Ordinance of 1539. Forestry Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana.

Anko, B. 1989. Forest Ordinance for Istria, Friuli and the Karst of 1541. Forestry Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana.

Guzelj, A. 1903. Instructions for Managing Small Forest Properties. Forestry Society for Carniola and Littoral, Ljubljana.

Medved, M. 1994. Qualifications of Forest Owners for Forest Management. In: Forestry Education - Proceedings, Forestry Society of Slovenia: 35 - 42.

Miklavzic, J. 1933. Farm Forestry. J.n.U., Ljubljana.

Winkler, I. 1995. The Features and Special Characteristics of Forest Property. Zbornik gozdarstva in lesarstva 47, Ljubljana: 181-210.

Forest Act. 1993. Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia, 30.

Forest Development Programme of Slovenia. 1996. Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia, 14.

Slovenian Forest Service Activity Report of 1995. Ljubljana.

FOREST OWNERSHIP PATTERNS BEFORE 1985 (SLOVENIA)

FOREST OWNERSHIP PATTERNS 1995 (SLOVENIA)

PLANNED FOREST OWNERSHIP PATTERNS (SLOVENIA)

NUMBER OF OWNERS PER FOREST SIZE CLASS (SLOVENIA)