Guidelines for establishment and maintenance of forest windbreaks in Serbia
Guidelines for establishment and maintenance of forest windbreaks in Serbia
February 8, 2021
Protective windbreaks are an element of forest vegetation contributing to the state of the environment
and reducing risks of hazardous phenomena and
processes resulting in soil degradation. Their function is particularly significant in areas dominated
by agricultural production, mostly without sufficient high vegetation, where wind erosion results
in loss of soil fertility and increased risk of pollution and extreme climate phenomena. Additionally,
protective windbreaks have a multifunctional value
reflected primarily in improving and protecting biodiversity, linking rural and urban areas, protecting
water bearing land, promotion recreational functions, etc. For the purposes of this document, the
collected positions of relevant decision-makers and
managers indicate unanimously the environmental
value of forest protective belts (mitigation of effects
of climate change, protection against wind erosion,
improving biodiversity, establishing tourism-recreational contents, and the like). They also point to the
need to come up with adequate models for financing the establishment and management of protective windbreak belts. In view of the relatively low
level of afforestation in the Republic of Serbia, and
with respect to unfavourable trends of climate and
anthropogenic effects, protective windbreaks offer
great potential as an instrument of environmental
protection and increasing the level of afforestation.