46 XIX International Scientific and Professional Meeting "ECOLOGICAL TRUTH" ECO-IST'11 Hotel "ALBO", Bor, Serbia, 1 - 4 June 2011 EKONOMIC-ECOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF FOREST RESOURCES Milena Kostić 1 , D. Avramović 2 , V. Radenković 3 , D. Spasić 2* 1 “Tigar” JSC, Pirot, SERBIA 2 University of Niš, Faculty of Occupational Safety in Niš, Čarnojevića 10a, SERBIA 3 Primary school “Bubanjski heroji”, Niš, SERBIA * dragan.spasic@zrnfak.ni.ac.rs ABSTRACT Economic-ecological evaluation of natural resources is the main focus of natural resource economics. Various methodologies are used for evaluating the value of natural resources, such as: determination of economic value, exploitation cost analysis, calculation of revenue obtained by natural resource exploitation, environmental valorisation, etc. Forest resources are the most complex and the most universal ecosystem which integrates other systems and creates conditions for their formation, development, stability, and renewability. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to conduct an economic-ecological evaluation of forest resources based on data regarding the area of forest resources, the area under special protection, works being carried out in forests, forest inventory, hunting areas, and tourist or sport activities. Key words: evaluation, forest resource, economics, ecology INTRODUCTION Forests provided humans with their first habitat and food sources. They used the first construction materials from forests to build stilt houses. The first clothing and footwear was made of wicker and wild game hide. Fire was discovered in forests and today it is one of the fundamental requisites of material culture. It was used for heating, food preparation, and clay pottery manufacture. It was also used to make the first metal tools and to deforest large areas of land for agricultural use. The first utensils and cutlery were made of wood. Wood was also used to light rooms. Wood was responsible for the first water transport, initially by rafts and afterwards by boats with oars and wooden ships. Wood was used to build the first fishing traps and fruit-gathering baskets. The first items that produced sound, and later the first musical instruments, were also made of wood. Numerous works of art were drawn on trees or created with the help of wood. The forest and the tree inspired the work of many artists. Wild game, fruits, and plant sap were the first food for humans and were used to create the first food and beverage reserves for their offspring. Even today, forests are both an important factor economically and ecologically and an important factor in the overall social development of every nation. Nations rich