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The forestry sector of Serbia, other users, as well as international organizations and conventions express the need for an increasing volume, specific structure and high reliability of information on the growing stock of Serbia. To meet these requirements, NFI-2 has undergone significant changes compared to NFI-1. In methodological terms, the changes are reflected in the fact that NFI-2 is a two-phase inventory. In the phase of photo-interpretation of the images, land categories are identified, changes occurred in the period 2006-2019 and field works are planned. Unlike NFI-1, all four circles on the cluster have a permanent character, the centers of the circles are better secured, which ensures their easy findings in NFI-3. The field phase is realized using high-precision instruments, digital records of measured or estimated values and online transfer to the database. The control of field works is performed through three levels, which significantly reduces the possibility of the appearance of rough and systematic errors. The scope of information has been significantly expanded, especially in the field of biodiversity assessment, nature protection, carbon storage, bioenergy, etc. Conceived in this way, NFI-2 is compatible with the inventories of most European countries, except in the area of its institutional organization in Serbia, which has not been resolved.

A comparative analysis of National Forest Inventories (NFI) of many countries, including Serbia was made in the manuscript, in terms of methodology and in terms of the definition of different information collected about forest ecosystems. Further development of the NFI Serbia was also analyzed. It was determined that there are differences in national methodologies, but that they are not substantial and do not constitute an obstacle to the creation of uniform databases of forests at the regional and global levels as a prerequisite for political and professional action aimed at protecting and ensuring sustainability of all forest functions. Contrary to that, differences between national definitions for information that are collected by inventory are numerous, distinct and as such represent a major obstacle to the mentioned aspirations. The solution of the problem is standardization, i.e. in the far more acceptable harmonization process (adaptation) NFI, whereby such frameworks of that activity are imposed by the FAO (globally) and COST Action E43 (mainly in the European region). NFI Serbia, on the threshold of second realization, is burdened with a numerous institutional, organizational and methodological problems and dilemmas, inherited from the first measurement of Serbian forests. Therefore, an urgent recruitment of relevant experts is necessary to resolve and overcome problems, in order to ensure all the prerequisites for a successful implementation and obtaining reliable data of the second NFI, so that the future NFI can be alleviated of the conditions in which it is currently located. [Projekat Ministartsva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 37008: Održivo gazdovanje ukupnim potencijalima šuma u Republici Srbiji]

Based on the data of the National Forest Inventory, this paper presents the basic characteristics of forest ecosystems in Serbia by different qualitative and quantitative parameters. The following parameters were dealt with: land use, forest ownership, origin, naturalness, preservation status, mixture and structural form of forests, percentage of tree species, stand category, volume distribution by diameter degrees, as well as the quantity of dead wood and carbon stock in the forests of Ser?bia. The analysis of the presented state enables the definition of some of strategic problems which individually and acting together burden our forest ecosystems, and whose detailed elaboration, measures and methods of enhancement will be fully expressed in the highest planning document - National Forest Programme. A special section, but without being sufficiently analytical, presents the main data on the growing stock of the Autonomous Province Kosovo and Metohija taken from the Report of the Norwegian Forestry Group.