Kosovo forest inventory project 2002-2003
Gashi, Ferim
Following the 1999 war, returning foresters compiled available information on forest resources in Kosovo. These data stemmed from the period before and during first half of 1990. The total forest area was estimated at about 430, 000 ha, or approximately 40% of the total land area. Of this area, low forest originating from stool-shoots (coppice) constituted the major part, covering more than 60%. High forest was estimated at about 25%. The growing stock in high forest was estimated at about 17 18 million mm, and total standing volume at approximately 30 million mm for all types of forests, 62% of all forest was considered state owned, while the remaining 38% was classified as private or community owned. By the Kosovo Forest Agency, the annual allowable cut was initially estimated at 70, 000 mm from coppice forests. The previous assessments were carried out by the state forest company Serbia Forest. Since available information was scarce and referred to the situation before the conflict, validation of the data with regard to the present situation could only be done through a new Kosovo wide forest inventory. Previous assessments were also mainly focusing on State forest, while inventory results from private forests have been negligible or non existing. In this way, e new Kosova wide inventory would be the first one ever or for a very long time that assessed and compiled the data from public and private forests, using the same methodology. Previous assessments were based on the aggregation of data from stand wise management plans. The new NFI project has been based on a different concept, namely the systematic sample plot inventory. The main objective is to promote a sustainable forest management by assessing the total forest resources and the annual sustainable harvest level. The project was started in February 2002 and finalized in December 2003. After a short test period in the autumn of 2002, the major part of the fieldwork took place from March November 2003.
Event: International Conference on Spatial Data Infrastructure 2010
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