Slovenia

Forest owner association (FOA) Pohorje-Kozjak is voluntary, non-profit and independent association of private forest owners established in 2007. Main aim of FOA is to increase the sustainable management of private forests and strengthen the economic power of forest owners in accordance with the law. Main tasks of FOA are education of forest owners, consultancy on management and sale of wood, assistance in applying for calls and giving comments on legislation. In the year 2012, a forest owners cooperative (FOC) was set up in order to expand their activities to the rave of business integration.

FOC Kozjak-Pohorje is an example of good practice expansion from the societal activities to the level of business cooperation in a forest cooperative. The comparative study reveals, that members of FOC are on average younger, they have larger forest properties and are better educated than members of the FOA. Also, the interests of members in FOC and FOA are different;  socio-educational reasons are the main driving force in case of FOC, while among FOA members interests are predominantly economic in nature.

The purpose of FOC is primarily a common appearance on the market, which in turn accelerates the economic benefits of its members and increases the competitiveness of forest owners on the market. On the long term, the plan is to increase the purchase quantity of wood and conclude long-term contracts with sawmills. The FOC also established a logistic center for supplying the residents with heat, produced from woody biomass. The next planned step is the investment in boiler rooms, establishment of social enterprise and sale of heat to final consumers. In addition, members of the FOC carry out logging and harvesting activities for forest owners and state forests. In the period from its foundation to date, the operation of the cooperative is stable and positive.

The significant increase in the number of forestry contractors in last few years has been increasing competition, however at the same time requires a reflection on the objective quality of contractors. In sustainable management of forests, the criterion for the selection of contractor should not be only the lowest service price, but it should include also environmental, social and business aspects of the relationship between the client and the contractor. Platform MojGozdar (MyForester) enables the integration of all stakeholders in the forest-wood value chain, including providers of forestry services, users of services (forest owners, forest managers) and administrators of basic data bases about business entities. It is a transparent and objective web-based information system for assessing the suitability of contractors, who perform work in the forest. The methodology for evaluating is consisted of an automatic assessment of the formal suitability of the forestry contractors and direct evaluation of the service by consumers.

Detailed description is available at http://www.crojfe.com/site/assets/files/4529/triplat_77-90.pdf

OHS is part of the international network Open House Worldwide, which operates in more than 35 cities around the world. The OHS is available to the general public, who can enter and test the buildings, get in contacts with the owners and the experts. At the same time it is also intended to promote top experts working in the field of design, design, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance and use of buildings.

Making good architecture is by no means easy. Nowadays it is challenging also in terms of the speed of orders and the advancement of technology. Good architecture is not fashionable, it is one that will be good regardless of the changes brought about by time. In this, the user will feel good, respectful to the environment and sustaining throughout the life cycle.

All the buildings showcased during OHS festivals are presented in the largest network of Slovene architecture. Over the years the largest and constantly expanding collection of contemporary Slovene architecture has been built. In the collection there are over 160 objects where wood has been used as a prevailing material for construction or indoor equipment.  OHS encourages the awareness that buildings are made for long periods, therefore their operation, energy consumption and the right choice of materials are important for a sustainable and conscious social and economic development.

Machinery ring is a social organization that offers support services for farmers and forest owners. It is a form of the use of machines between farms based on mutual neighborly assistance. Members of a machinery ring are owners of agricultural and/or forestry machinery and they can also provide services to other members at prices agreed. The machinery ring ensures coordination and dialogue between service providers and users.

Experience of the first years of operation show good results. The amount of work increases year by year. Forest owners are provided with a comprehensive service, from harvesting forest trees to selling timber, processing residues in wood chips and selling chips. They are able to achieve better prices at market. The machinery ring is a good and innovative example of linking forest owners, which by increasing efficiency and professionalism enables increased mobilization of wood from private forests, better silviculture of these forests and higher returns for individual owners.

Forest owners have access to high-quality hardware that cannot be afforded by individual owners. The machinery ring also provides expert advice and the purchase and sale of wood, including biomass for heating, and agricultural services. In the framework of the machinery ring, the training of owners for work in the forest and professional excursions are organized in cooperation with the Forest Service. The members also receive various discounts when purchasing forestry equipment. To make better use of machinery and work on a larger scale, they set up a limited liability company SK Servis, which deals with felling, harvesting and sale of wood, the production and sale of wood chips and the construction and maintenance of skid roads.

The operation reduces the amount of discarded wood, which is otherwise deposited at landfills or burned. A new service life is given to old wood and its lifetime is extended, which directly influence the prolongation of CO2 storage. The key sources of old wood will are defined, technological solutions for the use of such wood was developed and procedures for the production of windows were developed in cooperation with R&D institutions with an emphasis on the analysis of contaminated wood, physical properties of wood and the appropriate surface treatment of such products.

M Sora has developed a prototype of a timber window ReWin made of disposed timber. ReWin window is a unique example of a product that was developed by recycling the disposed timber that would otherwise end up at landfill, and represents a completely fresh idea and innovation in the field of builders’ joinery.