In the Republic of Croatia, forest management traditionally follows an even-aged forest management approach based on the age-class method for determining allowable cut and forest management planning. This approach is often, and unjustifiably, classified within European categorizations of forest management methods as being more or less distant from close-to-nature forestry. In fact, even-aged forest management in Croatia is characterized by adaptive planning of allowable cut, which is based on theoretical age-class area, stand regeneration priorities, stand structure, the need for silvicultural treatments, and the long-term establishment and maintenance of sustainable management. Moreover, considering the relatively small average stand size of around 15 hectares and the predominance of natural self-stand regeneration, even-aged management—despite all climatic, health, and economic challenges—can be promoted as a close-to-nature forestry. The introduction of an adaptive management in even-aged forests was initiated in the 19th century by the Croatian forestry expert and scientist Antun Tomić, through his own forest regulation method called the “rational method”, which was based on forest area, actual timber volume, and increment. The method represents a resistance to the imposed and unrealistic demands for allowable cut based on theoretical volume increment (the so-called normal utilization factor). This is particularly unrealistic in forests with a high proportion of overmature and mature stands, accumulated timber stocks, and relatively low volume increment. Tomić’s “rational method” combines Cotta’s area-based control method with Hundeshagen’s normal utilization factor method. It is adapted for application in forests with non-balanced age structures and, through the deliberate extension of stand cutting ages, gradually leads to the establishment of forest normality and sustainable yields (balanced even-aged forest structure). It can be considered as a transitional method toward the modern combined age-class method, in which stands ready for regeneration are assigned to the first ten-year period. Furthermore, regeneration allowable cut is determined based on a comparison of the actual and theoretical distribution of stand area, timber stocks, and volume increment by age classes, while considering broad ecological and economic conditions. Modern forest measurement techniques, both classical and remote-sensing-based, together with advances in modeling, programming, and artificial intelligence, allow for highly precise and dynamic forest management planning. High-quality forest inventory databases, combined with forest development simulators and forest management planning support systems (FMPS), enable intensive and flexible planning, as well as evaluation of possible scenarios—including different climate scenarios. This makes it possible to select the most favorable outcomes and/or avoid unfavorable developments in forest growth or natural resource management in general. In this context, Tomić’s method should be recognized as a significant historical approach to forest regulation, serving as a foundation for the development of modern, adaptive, and objective forest management planning.
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