Analysis of the possibility of implementing certification system for utilisation of non-wood forest products. II. The results

The article presents the research findings concerning the concept of forest management with regard to forest utilisation in the PEFC system. A set of developed rules of procedure in the use of non−wood forest products was presented, the observance of which was to enable the unit audited by the PEFC to meet the requirements set by the PEFC and obtain a certificate. The rules were analysed with a particular emphasis on aspects such as allowing access to stands and harvest of non−wood forest products and the factors limiting their use, harvest of forest utility plants and edible mushrooms, birch sap extraction and production of charcoal in retorts. Certification should be viewed as an integral part of the new strategy of non−wood forest use, as a tool whose effectiveness influences and will influence the development of the forest goods market and consequently the rural development