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Cantonal forest management company Šume Središnje Bosne d.o.o. is a public company located in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - canton Središnja Bosna, founded in 2004. The main task of this company is forests management within the canton, while other tasks also include forest utilization, provision of forestry services, hunting and wildlife care, and wholesale of timber products. This company manages around 185 000 ha of state-owned forests, which make just above 12% of total forest area of FBiH.
On the 23rd of April 2020, Šume Središnje Bosne d.o.o. obtained a second FM certificate (SA-FM/COC-007714) covering additional 63 463,10 ha of state-owned forests. This marks a milestone for the cantonal forest management company which now manages 100% FSC certified state-owned forests.
This move is in line with the goal of Central forestry office of canton Središnja Bosna which envisions full certification of state-owned forests, driven by the increasing demands for sustainably sourced forest products from customers. Eldin Delić, a representative of Šume Središnje Bosne d.o.o. commented on the important social and environmental contribution of the new FM certificate: “Bringing together local communities, many interest groups (schools, businesses, hunters, mountaineers, fishermen, governmental organisations, etc.), as well as the population overall, the certification process ensures a higher social awareness”. Delić mentioned many successful projects with the local communities and interest groups such as the rehabilitation of local roads, rivers and stream beds; construction of canopies, containments, and observation posts, as well as important environmental contributions such as rehabilitation of forest wild landfills and the addition of new signs for appropriate garbage disposal within the forest.
Two certificates held by Šume Središnje Bosne d.o.o. jointly also ensure that 17 074,28 ha of forests -i.e. 9,27% under company’s supervision are classified as high conservation value forests (HCVF). According to Principle 9 of FSC FM standard, HCVF are primarily managed for conservation objectives, rather than commercial harvesting of timber. A study published in 2009 confirmed that prior to FSC forest certification in Bosnia and Herzegovina, national conservation legislation did not recognise nor protect this forest category, while at the same time confirming that HCVFs in Bosnia and Herzegovina contribute to protection of ecosystem services, prevention of soil erosion and conservation of threatened, endangered and endemic species (Ioras et al., 2009).
As of May 2020, over 1,88 million hectares - i.e. about 83% of state-owned forests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are FSCcertified. This is a great accomplishment for Bosnia and Herzegovina as it brings this forest-rich country even closer to other countries in Adria-Balkan area like Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia where over 95% of state-owned forests are already certified.
In a study from 2019, which was carried out by the prominent researchers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia, it was found that FSC certification successfully addresses certain social and ecological issues in forest management and overall, it contributes to sustainable forest management in all four countries. Specifically, most significant impact of FSC certification may be seen in areas such as worker’s rights, health and safety of employees, availability of appropriate personal protective equipment, consultation with local people and interest groups, awareness of environmental impacts of forestry operations, waste disposal and storage of fuel, improving the image of forest companies and maintenance of high-conservation-value forests (Pezdevšek Malovrh et al., 2019).
The findings of this study confirm Mr. Eldin Delić’s statement on specific FSC impacts on their forest management. “Through the certification many participants realised that forests are not only for the people who work in forestry companies, rather, forests are of high importance for all the members of our community” Delić said.