Ecology & Safety, Volume 11, 2017

Rezumat: This paper discusses the current trends in forestry sector development (including in Bulgaria). The relevance of the topic stems from the importance of forests for preserving the other natural resources in order not to allow the natural balance of the planet to be disturbed. From this point of view, emphasis is placed on the dynamic changes in economy, and in particular in the agricultural sector, which require the implementation of a responsible (incl. national) forest policy, in terms of: climate change, conservation of biological and landscape diversity in forest areas, natural disasters (forest fires), etc. That is why the importance of forests as a renewable resource for the conservation of natural resources is manifested in the fulfillment of their social, environmental and economic functions. The focus is on forest certification and the use of certification as a modern tool for sustainable forest management. The aim is to promote effective forest management for forest ecosystems preservation, incl. biodiversity, carbon dioxide capture and storage, soil protection and other factors. In this respect priority is given to high conservation value forests, maintaining the socalled islands of old age, preservation of minimum quantities of dead wood in forest areas, etc.