19/04/2018 in Kupres is completed Third Conference: The future of forestry and wood processing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on which the pellet production line was exhibited by Đuro Đaković Strojna obrada d.o.o. Within a short period of time, the gathering was established as the center of meeting of the economy, profession and politics in the forestry and wood processing sector in BiH and neighboring countries.
The meeting was opened by Borjana Krišto, Chair of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, which emphasized the economic potential of this sector and emphasized that responsible and sustainable management of forests and forest resources is the duty and obligation of politics and the whole society. The conference, realized in cooperation with the Croatian Wood Cluster, SDG Hercegbosna Forest, FBiH Chamber of Economy / Economy, Biomass Association in BiH and the Wood Cluster of Herzegovina, aims to clarify sectoral problems, but also to offer examples of good practice and possible solutions.
12% of GDP share BiH and external trade surplus, the wood-processing industry, which is inextricably linked to forestry, represents an important economic potential because it has local raw material, creates added value and contributes to the development of rural areas, which will not be possible in the long run without skilled and qualified workforce. Clustering opens up opportunities for greater EU funding and additional investment in staff education, said President of the Wood Cluster of Herzegovina Zdravko Vojvodić, where this association works intensively through the practical construction of a wooden school in Ljubuški (BiH) and the opening of new educational programs.
The expert group has opened up a series of topics for two days, which must be tackled on a continuous and long-term basis. The need to solve the problem of minefields, which currently covers more than 120,000 hectares in BH and about 40,000 hectares in Croatia, has been highlighted and prevents forest management, endangers security and causes numerous economic damages. Existing demographic trends and the media's unpopularity of the sector lead to serious disadvantages of the workforce, and the need to invest in education of staff, as well as stimulating measures, is emphasized.
Biomass is imposed as an important sectoral theme in view of the European goals of greater use of renewable energy sources, but also provides additional revenue to wood refineries. The conference is open with pre-conference activities, a round table on the topic of exploiting wood biomass and promoting the production and use of wood energy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region. The cooperation of sectoral organizations from BiH and Croatia is formalized by signing a letter of intent between the Biomass Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Biomass Association CROBIOM aimed at achieving long-term cooperation and promoting greater use of biomass in the region.
The conference brought together 150 woodcutters, institutions, government representatives, associations and academia, and students of the Secondary Vocational School of Tomislavgrad, which are educated for the profession of carpentry.