Forest fragmentation – a problem at the European level
The problem of fragmentation of ownership in forests is not a recent phenomenon. Excessive fragmentation of forest properties leads to an increase in the number and area of ownerless forests, forests that are abandoned. Left without care, forests become victims of forest fires, insect attacks, winds and snow.Fragmentation is a process in which the number of owners per unit area increases and the size of the property decreases accordingly. As a result of this process, the situation is reached when the property is so small that it is of no interest to the owner himself.The smaller a forest area is, the smaller its economic value falls, and this causes the owners of forests under one or two hectares to abandon them and not take care of their property. In Bulgaria, as well as in Europe, a number of restrictions are applied to forest properties, which have become more severe over the years. This turns forest ownership into one of the most undesirable types of property.The trends of population migration to large cities, far from rural and mountainous areas, should not be underestimated. Forests are abandoned due to the physical impossibility of managing them from a distance, lack of desire on the part of the owners, due to ignorance of this matter, and last but not least, a large part of the owners simply do not know that they have inherited a given forest after the death of a grandmother, grandfather or other relative.In many cases, the value of the forest is many times less than the value of the transaction with such type of property, regardless of whether it is a purchase - sale, donation or other form of transaction. The problem is especially great with forests in joint ownership. Such are all forest cooperatives, associations and districts. The legal practice is for the transaction to be formed in all cadastral units covering the cooperative, and this makes the notarial deed unnecessarily and extremely long and expensive.In the absence of care for a forest, the forest itself and its inhabitants suffer first. Then the owner himself and the entire society lose. The state also loses from unpaid taxes on business activities.When a forest is left without an owner, it is exposed to a much greater risk of fires, in the event of an insect attack there is no one to resist and it can be more easily damaged and destroyed. It often becomes a focus for the development and spread of pests.In agricultural properties, there is an active trend of consolidation - the unification of properties by investors for the purpose of easier and more profitable processing. In forests, this is not the case at all.In conclusion, I can mention that the main problem for good forest management is the effect of fragmentation, and this is a lack of care.In the following graph, I will show how in just over 20 years the number of owners in several forest cooperatives has increased and the area of the property has decreased accordingly. Although the average area owned by a given owner is decreasing, it should be borne in mind that these forests are well managed and are not ownerless. This is not the case at all in private forests within real boundaries, which are mostly abandoned.- GPC "Karachelebiytsa - Indzhekarovsko" - area 363 ha., established in 2002number of owners then - 540/ number of owners as of 31.12.2024 - 720- GPC "Zornitsa" - area 629.3 ha., established in 2002number of owners then - 570/ number of owners as of 31.12.2024 – 722- GPC “St. Iliya” – area 610.3 ha., established in 2002number of owners then – 1710/ number of owners as of 31.12.2024 - 2290- GPC “Pamporovo” – area 210.5 ha., established in 2001number of owners then – 530/ number of owners as of 31.12.2024 - 730- GPC “Karakus” – area 354 ha., established in 2001number of owners then – 799 number of owners as of 31.12.2024 – 1105Area of the 5 cooperatives – 2167 ha.Total number of owners as of 2002 – 4150Total number of owners by the end of 2024 – 5567Average ownership per owner by 2002 – 0.52 ha.and average by the end of 2024 – 0.39 ha.
SMURF project website https://www.smurfproject.eu/.Funded by EU 
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Европейска конференция в Рим
European Conference on Small Forests in Rome
The first European Conference on Small Forests, held from 20 to 22 May 2025 at FAO headquarters in Rome, brought together over 200 key stakeholders from across Europe, including public institutions, private organizations, non-governmental organizations and many forest owners’ associations.The three-day programme included presentations, panel discussions, technical sessions, networking opportunities and hands-on training at the Castelporziano estate, an Italian state nature reserve.Topics covered by the conference included the state of small forest holdings in Europe, legal and financial support mechanisms, forest owner engagement, forest value chains and markets for ecosystem services. These topics were addressed through in-depth discussions held in nine sessions, which also addressed key issues such as forest land abandonment, low profitability and fragmentation.The event highlighted the role of forest owner organisations in strengthening local value chains and advancing sustainable forest management across the EU. During the practical visit to Castelporziano, participants had the opportunity to meet representatives of 35 organisations selected in the first call for funding under the SMURF cascade project, to network and enjoy a pleasant exchange in an informal setting.This conference was an important step in building stronger cooperation within the European forestry community and demonstrated the key role that small forest owners play in creating a sustainable and inclusive future for European forests. The SMURF project will continue to work in support of this goal.The National Forest Owners Association of Bulgaria participated in this conference as a representative of private forest owners in Bulgaria and as a beneficiary of the SMURF project. We believe that the participation of a representative of the Association in such a large forum at such a high level is an opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues from many European countries. To understand what their problems are in managing private forests and what their proposals are for dealing with them. And to share our problems and experiences.The conference was held in a special place at the FAO headquarters in Rome and, in addition to representatives from various forest associations, it was also attended by representatives of the European Commission, representatives of ministries, representatives of the European Forestry Institute and many university professors. This shows the desire of these institutions to solve the challenges in forest management.At the end of the event, conclusions were formulated from the sessions and presentations held in this way, which will soon be published on the SMURF project website https://www.smurfproject.eu/.Funded by EU #smurfproject #SmallForestHoldings #forestry #forestowners #profitability #smallforestowners #foresteufuture #forestmanagement #sustainability #forestnews #cascadefunding #closetonaturesilvicultureSee translation
"Forest All-Around" Competition
In May 2025, the National Association of Owners of Non-State Forests "Gorovladelets" sponsored the "Forest All-Around" competition. It is held regularly among all schools where future forest specialists are trained. For us, the good preparation of future foresters is of great importance, since after they graduate they will be part of the professionals practicing in our forests.
In the period 28–30 April 2025, the PG under the SGST "Nikola Vaptsarov" in the city of Chepelare hosted the National Competition "Forest All-Around" 2025 - an event in which, in an absolutely professional environment, in a sports competition, enviable knowledge of various forestry disciplines, mental resilience and stable physical training are shown. The competition was held in the city of Chepelare, where the headquarters of our Association is also located. This was the 17th edition of the National Competition "Forest All-Around". This was the most significant professional competition for students studying in the "Forestry" vocational field from vocational high schools in Bulgaria! The competition meets the needs of the time and places the participants in an attractive learning environment, transforming them from students into competitive specialists. 11 PGs from the country participated:
PGZS "A. Stamboliyski" village Chomakovtsi, PGSS "Geo Milev" town Maglizh, PGGSD "N. Haitov" town Varna, PGSSGS town Kardzhali, LPGG town Berkovitsa, NPGSS "Hr. Botev" town Velingrad, PLTG "N. Vaptsarov" town Bansko, PGGSD "St. Bozhkov" town Batak, PGDS "Tsar Ivan Asen II" town Haskovo, NPGGSD "S. Mladenov" town Teteven and PGSGST "Nikola Y. Vaptsarov" Chepelare.
The competition took place in two stages:
The first stage of the competition consists of running a route with a length of 2000 m. over rough terrain, including points in the individual disciplines:
Point I: Recognition of coniferous and deciduous species, wood, footsteps, traces of game, diseases and pests;
Point II: Sport fishing;
Point III: Planting saplings;
Point IV: Shooting with an air rifle.
The second stage of the competition includes:
Point I: Felling, pruning, cutting and cube cutting of coniferous trees;
Point II: Preparing a gasoline-powered chainsaw for work;
Point III: Combined cutting of discs.
After the final, the awards were presented to the best young foresters in the country. Participants, committees, guests and hosts were present.
All participants received certificates and prizes from the host school and the Executive Forestry Agency in recognition of their work and ambition.
www.smurfproject.eu Funded by EU
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SMURF - the project aimed at small forest owners and their representative associations
No one knows the number of forest owners and forest holdings in Europe. It could be more than 20 million people, and in many countries there are strong structural barriers to forest management and investment in forests, such as the lack of an up-to-date cadastre or clear ownership documents.
The SMURF project defends the right of the forest owner to decide on the objectives and management systems to be applied in his own forests.
The SMURF project aims to create a European network of small forest holdings. The aim is to encompass the diversity of forest associations and cooperatives and to use their experience to support small forest holdings.
Forestry in Europe aims to be multifunctional, integrating a variety of societal requirements, such as biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation or the production of clean water and cultural services such as recreation or human health.
SMURF – the Forest Owners Project will help create value in the forest sector by ensuring sustainable and profitable management and business models, a standardised payment system for ecosystem services and will provide a support and training structure for small forest holdings.
Socio-economic changes in forest ownership in Europe, combined with the threats of climate change and other changes such as the process of urbanisation, agricultural intensification and others, are leading to land abandonment, fragmentation of forest holdings, forest decay, increased fire risk, loss of forest habitats and a reduction in many ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, wood production, recreation and biodiversity conservation.
Over the last 60 years, European farms have undergone a profound transformation, with clear improvements in structures, new business models and more, clearly guided by the Common Agricultural Policy. European forest holdings have not yet undergone such a transformation and there are large differences between public and private forest holdings. The situation of small forest holdings (SHFs) is particularly precarious, given the lack of forest holding registers in many European regions.
The problem of farm fragmentation has been clearly addressed for decades to overcome barriers to agricultural modernization, but the serious problem of forest fragmentation and unclear ownership has not been addressed in many countries and is a major obstacle to sustainable forest management.
The Forest Owner Association was approved under the SMURF project together with 37 other associations and associations of forest owners from 16 European countries. The SMURF project provides us with a basis for comparing the situation of small forest holdings in Europe.
SMURF_CF1_03 Association of small forest land's owners from Umbrías Spain
SMURF_CF1_06 Forest Owners Association: Mountain Boards of Asturias Spain
SMURF_CF1_08 Forest Owners Association VORTANA Romania
SMURF_CF1_09 Forest Owners Association - STEJARUL TOPOLOVENI Romania
SMURF_CF1_10 Romanian Forest Owners Association- Romania
SMURF_CF1_11 Association of Traditional and Environmental
Agricultural Producers Portugal
SMURF_CF1_12 Baixo Vouga Forestry Association Portugal
SMURF_CF1_13 AguiarFloresta Portugal
SMURF_CF1_14 Montnegre-Corredor Forest Owners Association Spain
SMURF_CF1_15 Laye-Lauzon Forest Management Association France
SMURF_CF1_19 Land Association Spring Valleys Italy
SMURF_CF1_22 National Center for Private Forest Ownership France
SMURF_CF1_23 Ocejon community of forest owners Spain
SMURF_CF1_25 Forestry Consortium "Gulf Corkwoods" Italy
SMURF_CF1_26 Ticino river forestry consortium Italy
SMURF_CF1_27 Forestry Consortium of Villa Basilica Italy
SMURF_CF1_28 De Bosgroepen Belgium
SMURF_CF1_30 Departmental federation of forestry groups of Hérault France
SMURF_CF1_31 Fenafloresta - National Federation of Forest Producers' Cooperatives, FCRL Portugal
SMURF_CF1_33 The non-profit association for commercially sustainable multi-use of forests Sweden
SMURF_CF1_35 FORESTIERS D'ALSACE France
SMURF_CF1_37 Holzcluster Steiermark GmbH Austria
SMURF_CF1_38 Croatian Union of Private Forest Owners Associations Croatia
SMURF_CF1_39 Irish Wood Producers Ireland
SMURF_CF1_40 Irish Woodland Owners Co-operative Society Ltd Ireland
SMURF_CF1_41 Rural Flanders Belgium
SMURF_CF1_42 Latvian Forest Owners' Association Latvia
SMURF_CF1_43 Model Forest Istria Croatia
SMURF_CF1_45 Pozemkové spoločenstvo komposesorátu a Urbariátu Šalková Slovakia
SMURF_CF1_46 Association of private forest owners Lithuania
SMURF_CF1_47 NTF- Rural Landowners of Wallonia Belgium
SMURF_CF1_48 Royal Forestry Society of Belgium Belgium
SMURF_CF1_50 Forest Association Styria Austria
SMURF_CF1_51 Association of Owners of Community and Private Forests of the Banská Bystrica Region Slovakia
SMURF_CF1_52 Asotiation of Slovenian Forest Owners Slovenia
SMURF_CF1_54 WESTERN MACEDONIA MODEL FOREST Greece
SMURF_CF1_55 National Association of Owners of Private Forests "Gorovladeletz" Bulgaria
Our story
The National Association of Private Forest Owners “Gorovladelets” began its activities in 2002. It was established following the restitution of forests and the reactivation of forest cooperatives and associations after 2001. These entities are the successors of those that existed prior to 1945.According to its founding statute, the main goal of the Association is to protect the interests of forest owners and their representatives. It also aims to collaborate with governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions, parliamentary committees, and similar bodies, both nationally and internationally, for the development and implementation of regulations and decisions governing the management and stewardship of private forests.Our Association is a voluntary union of individuals and legal entities. It is a non-profit legal entity established to carry out activities of public benefit.The fundamental principles guiding all our work are: 1. Voluntary membership; 2. Election and term limits for governing bodies; 3. Periodic accountability of governing bodies; 4. Transparency of decisions and all activities of the Association; 5. Political and trade union independence.Our primary members are forest cooperatives and associations that represent tens of thousands of forest owners possessing undivided shares of forest land. We also include individual private forest owners among our members.The Association is primarily used as a platform for exchanging information, experience, and best practices among its members. It cooperates with local authorities and organizations to support initiatives and decisions related to private forests and their use. It participates in national and international programs, councils, projects, and initiatives in the field of private forests and their sustainable development, ecology, integrated nature-based and multifunctional forest management, and fostering ecological awareness among forest owners.The Association maintains contacts with national and international non-governmental organizations focused on forestry and environmental goals. It also takes part in and supports the development and implementation of legislation and decisions concerning the structure, management, use, and sustainable development and protection of private forests at all possible levels.Since its inception, a representative of the Association has regularly participated in the drafting of the Forest Act and its subordinate regulations, as well as in subsequent amendments over the years. The Association has also been actively involved in the National Forest Council under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
100 years "Week of the forest"
The Forestry Guild celebrates its “Forest Week” holiday every year in the first full week of April. This year marks the 100th anniversary of its first celebration, although the work to restore, manage and protect Bulgarian forests began immediately after the Liberation in 1878. The newly established state initially created security units of foot and horse forest guards from local administrations. A year later, on July 5, 1879, an independent “Forest Supervision” sector was established within the Department of State Property and Ore of the Ministry of Finance, marking the beginning of the state forestry service in Bulgaria.
Read more here: https://sedmicanagorata.eu/
In early 2025, NAOPF"Gorovladelets" was approved as a beneficiary under the SMURF project
The aim of the project is to create a community of associations and organizations similar to the Forest Owner Association. Over 30 organizations have been approved by the EU. Organizations representing small forest owners with the aim of exchanging experience and good management practices. se
From 20 to 22 May, the first European Conference on Small Forests will be held in Rome.
Organized by the Cesefor Foundation and co-organized by the University of Florence on behalf of the SMURF consortium, jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Forestry Institute (EFI). Funded by the European Commission and supported by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF) and the Spanish Ministry of the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
This 3-day event is a unique opportunity to engage with private, public and municipal forest owners, forest owners' associations and cooperatives, national and regional forest authorities, forest enterprises, professionals and researchers, NGOs and all stakeholders involved in small forest holdings (SFH) in Europe.
You can read more about the project here: https://www.smurfproject.eu/
Forest interventions in 2025
През 2025 г. в индикативен годишен график за планираните приеми за 2025 г. са включени две горски интервенции
- II.Г.10 – Залесяване ивъзстановяване и ІІ.Г.11 - Предотвратяване на щети по горите от горски пожари, природни бедствия и катастрофични събития.
On November 7 and 8, the autumn meeting between the members of the Association was held in the town of Strelcha
In addition to members of the Association, the event was also attended by a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The main topic of the meeting was the upcoming launch of forest interventions according to the SPRZSR 2023 - 2027.