Šumarski list, Vol. 133 No. 11-12, 2009.
Uvodnik
ON THE EVE OF THE 40thANNIVERSARY
Branimir Prpić
; Hrvatsko šumarsko društvo Zagreb
Sažetak
When I returned from a study sojourn in Switzerland in the autumn of 1967, I found a proposal suggesting that I become the editor-in-chief of the Forestry Journal, on condition that I should firstbeits technical editor. I accepted the proposal without any hesitation. At that time forestry was burdened with numerous problems. The socialist-communist system in Yugoslavia was based on planned economy and pseudo-ownership relations among isolated forest administrations, some of which could not even engage in the primary task of tending young forests due to a shortage of means for biological reproduction. Herds of goats inflicted severe damage to state forests in the Mediterranean region despite a ban on keeping goats and grazing. The state water management administration, in collusion with the electrical power industry, simplyinformed the forest management industry that a hydropower station was being built and that the machinery had entered aforest and started construction operations (e.g. Varaždin, Varaždin Hydropower Station).
This is how it all began. I became the editor of the Forestry Journal in January 1970 and have held this post eversince. Our mission has always been to advise and guide all those encountering problems in forestry-related work bystaunchly applying the regulations of the Forest Law and some fundamental postulates and principles of the forestry science. We have done this through the Croatian Forestry Association (established in 1864), a society that traditionally mergesthe forestry science and profession. In the beginning, the form of communication was oral, but when the magazine “Forestry Journal” started coming out, we switched to the written word. Our mission has been expressed in the columns “A Word from the Editor-in-Chief” and articles written by other members gathered in the column “Current Affairs”. As anillustration, the late 1980s were marked with increased forest decline, so the pages of our journal were filled with articles addressing this serious issue.
The year 1990 denoted very important social changes in Croatia, which culminated with Croatia gaining completeindependence after the Homeland War in 1995. However, the war caused overall devastation of the forests, while miningmade them inaccessible. Croatian forests experienced revival in the free homeland with the introduction of a new forestmanagement field, which finally solved the problem of sustainable management. The professional approach to forests overthe past 200 years has resulted in natural forest stands completely adjusted to their sites. It is the natural diversity and thewealth of species that discriminates Croatian forests from European ones.
Every change for the better necessarily brings along some undesirable aspects. Large forest areas in Croatia are beingre-converted to cater for different purposes (roads, oil pipelines, transmission lines, golf courses, permanent vine and olivecultures, construction of relief and navigation canals and hydropower stations, etc.). In the past two years we have beendealing with the national ecological network, which is an idea advocated by the EU, although this idea is not applicableto our natural forests.
As always, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the readers of “Forestry Journal” Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year 2010. On behalf of Petar Jurjević, M.Sc, president of the Croatian Forestry Association, Damir Delač, B.Sc. general secretary, Hranislav Jakovac, B.Sc, technical editor of “Forestry Journal“, and myself, I wish youevery success in your business and happiness in private life.
Professor Emeritus Branimir Prpić, Ph.D.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
45091
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.12.2009.
Posjeta: 1.605 *