The Analysis of Problems in the Certification Application in State Forestry Administration in Turkey

Year 2017, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 102 - 110, 30.11.2017

Osman Komut , Atakan Öztürk

Abstract

The use of natural sources and
increase in environmental damage around the world have come to a state in which
it threatens the existence and functionality of forest resources as well as
other natural resources’. The idea that economic development can only be
achieved through the mentality of sustainable forest management supported by
community involvement has ensured the improvement in certification systems of
forestry and forest product. Therefore, in this study, the opinions of
directors of state forestry administration in Turkey concerning the
difficulties encountered or hardships which are possible to encounter in
forestry and forest products certification are addressed. In this context, a
questionnaire based on the face-to-face interview method has been carried out
on 147 participants in manager position in 71 different State Forestry Management.
While 11 of the forestry managements, on which the questionnaire is conducted,
have FSC forest management certificates, 60 are non-certified businesses. At
the end of this study, that bureaucratic procedures will increase within the
management and that malfunctions will be experienced with respect to the
operation, low level of certification awareness in Turkey, the inadequacy of
collaboration between stakeholders and the incomplete forest cadastre all are
determined as major obstacles to the certification. On the other hand, it has
been detected that there are noteworthy differences in opinions between
employees in certified companies and workers in non-certified businesses in
respect to worker’s health and safety, and stakeholder collaboration. In addition,
it is conducted that there are significant differences between the working
hours of participants and the participants’ opinions concerning the problems
encountered in the forest products certification.

Keywords

Forest management, Forestry and forest products, Certification, state forestry administration

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