application/pdf 1992092 bytes University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry, Serbia 2016 eng Раткнић, Mихаило Брауновић, Соња Ракоњац, Љубинко Раткнић, Татјана Serbia, risk management, afforestation strategy, torrential floods The Afforestation Strategy of the Republic of Serbia in Torrential Flood Risk Management Third Conference of the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation. Conference Abstracts All rights reserved https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:1594 info:eu-repo/semantics/article ABSTRACT: By setting the objective of increasing the Republic of Serbia’s afforestation level to 41.4% by 2050, the Serbian forestry has undertaken a number of tasks, among which afforestation, regeneration and the improvement of quality of the existing forests have the highest priority. The key criteria applied in the prior afforestation of barren land, as well as in amelioration of degraded and coppice forests, were the scope of afforestation, i.e. the size of afforested areas and the highest possible wood mass yield, obtainable in a short period. The result of the influence of different climatic conditions, heterogeneous geological composition, relief, exposure and quality of forest ecosystems, as well as the negative impact of anthropogenic factors conditioned the development of intensive erosion processes in the previous period and the occurrence of the frequent torrential floods. The consequences are, first of all, endangering human lives and material damage caused to settlements, roads, agriculture, water management facilities, that is, society in general. The results of the research performed in the areas of Grdelička Klisura and Vranjska Kotlina confirmed the significance of the effects of the performed erosion control works for the mitigation of the intensity of erosion and sediment yield and transport, and the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach to the questions of drainage basin erosion processes. Successful afforestation depends on the selection of the suitable technical solutions (bench terraces and terraces), correct selection of species, application of seedlings produced in the afforested area and appropriate silvicultural measures in the established plantations. The implementation of new afforestation strategy, based on ecosystem preservation and sustainable development, will contribute to a more successful establishment of cultures and plantations, as well as to enhancement of other, generally beneficial forest functions.