In the study, we analyzed the distribution of planned annual timber harvest in relation to forest accessibility and forest ownership in the Forest management unit Jezersko. Forests there are owned by the state, private forest owners, and municipality. Forest accessibility was analyzed with the density of forest roads and skidding trails. By using the 50, 70 and 100 m wide buffer zones around the roads and skidding trails, we estimated the areas of forests that can be actively managed and calculated the quantities and proportions of the planned annual timber harvest that can be realized using a tractor to do the skidding. The analyzed forests of different ownership differ in the density of forest roads and skidding trails, which implies different forests accessibility and has a key impact on the area to be potentially actively managed; private forests exhibited the highest value for both indicators. We also found that the potential realization of the planned annual timber harvest in all multi-purpose forests in the Forest management unit Jezersko was 54-75 %, depending on the width of the buffer zone around the forest roads and skidding trails. The potential realization was higher for conifers due to their higher proportion in growing stock. In terms of the ownership categories, the lowest potential realization of the planned annual timber harvest was found in the state-owned forests (43-65%) and the highest in the private forests (65-85%). Private forests demonstrated a significantly higher share of potential realization of the planned annual timber harvest compared to state forests, and the main reason for this seems better forest accessibility. Improved forest accessibility would also enhance the economics of forest management and the use of forest resources.
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