IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL MODELS ON FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION.
The organizational models that are emerging in Central and Eastern Europe show similarities with Western European models. This is due to both the close links before World War II and to the ecological and social similarities among neighbouring countries. Slovenia and Slovakia, for instance, intend to introduce an adaptation of the Austrian model, with a Chamber system and private forest owner associations. Similarly, the Baltic States tend to relate their organizational structures more closely to Scandinavian models.
Experiences and models from Western Europe are however not entirely transferable due to the different ways in which countries have evolved. An example is the link between farming and forestry. Small-scale forestry in Western Europe has traditionally been dominated by farm forests. These agrarian models were rejected by the former East Block countries, with direct repercussions on today's forest management. As a result, the majority of the recently privatised small woodlots are in the hands of non-farmers, who have no links to agriculture or farming systems.
While reviewing existing models to learn from other countries experiences can be useful and should be promoted, emphasis always needs to be placed on the adaptation of structures, tasks and activities relevant to the local requirements to avoid the introduction of inappropriate models.
Organizations and organizational structures in Western Europe have evolved over the centuries and are still developing to meet the changing requirements. Local non profit associations emerged in the late 1700s, giving way to marketing co-operatives by the end of the 1800s - but as interest associations only. It was only during the 20th century that co-operatives as management associations, with various services from credit to inputs and shared resources, began to be formed.
