The participants identified the centralised forest management system as the main problem and Ivan Ambros of the local forest and timber industry cluster said that last year timber manufacturers in Vukovar-Srijem County were given 35% of the raw material from the area while in 2008 they were allowed to use 75% of the local law material.
According to statistics kept by the Zagreb University Faculty of Forestry, in 2013 as many as 600,000 cubic metres of logs (raw material) were exported, as were 500,000 tonnes of timber waste, which is used as fuel for co-generation plants, Ambrus said, calling for a better communication and cooperation so that Croatia could make better use of its forest resources.
Also, some experts recently warned of a high amount of pellet exports from Croatia.
Between 260,000-300,000 tonnes of pellets are produced annually in Croatia, and the lion's share, 90%, is exported, however, the authorities could change this by amending the legislation in a bid to encourage the consumption of energy generated from renewables, it was said at an international energy conference on biomass and renewable energy sources a few days ago.