The value of non-wood forest products for the Croatian bioeconomy

Economic importance of non-wood forest products (NWFP) has been increasing over the last decades, and is now holding a respectable share in the global bioeconomy. The importance of bioeconomy is not yet fully recognized in many country policies, therefore, a well-defined and sustainably managed forest and wood industry could play an important role in implementing and boosting bioeconomy aims, especially in rural areas. The aim of the paper is to present Yrecent research on characteristics of NWFP's and their value for Croatian bioeconomy. Data obtained from collectors and processors (1001 respondents April-May 2018) was analyzed using descriptive statistics tools on the value of the most common products (mushrooms, medical and aromatic plants, berries and other fruits). The average road distance that respondents cross between their home and the forest is about 10.5 kilometers. They spend 14 days per year collecting, and collect around 2 kg per day. The average prices that nonwood forest products achieve on Croatian, and even on the international market (5.3 EUR/kg) are higher than expected. Medicinal, aromatic and edible herbs achieve the highest price (6.24 EUR/kg mostly influenced by immortelle prices in the last few years), as well as mushrooms whose prices are higher than average (5.90 EUR/kg, mostly influenced by the price of white and black truffle). Sustainable forest management with focus on NWFPs could have a positive influence on employment, creation of added values and the share of forestry in national bioeconomy.