Perception of Villagers from Ali Koch and Rastani Towards Forest Management Performed by the PE "Macedonian Forests"

Background and purpose: This paper describes the perception of the local population from two villages Ali Koch and Rastani regarding the forest management of the Public Enterprise (PE) Macedonian Forests. Materials and methods: For the purpose of this research а multistage cluster sampling had been applied, where municipalities of Radovis and Veles were randomly selected from all municipalities in the country. These chosen municipalities were divided into areas (settlements), where each settlement represents a different cluster. Settlements were further divided into smaller areas - houses that are located closer or further to the forest. All households near the forests were approached and survey of 93 interviews was done. Results and conclusion: Results showed that perceptions of the villagers from both villages in the Republic are almost the same. According to the obtained results perception of the local population towards management of the PE Macedonian Forests is not very satisfying, because most of them think that the enterprise activities are mostly focused on harvesting. Results provide information that can be helpful for the managers to improve the management of the enterprise, which can lead towards better perception of the forestry in the Republic