INTENSIFYING SMES BUSINESS NETWORKS IN FORESTRY

The paper attempts to summarize the current common challenges to be jointly addressed by SMEs in forestry. In this respect it has suggested developping and intensifying SMEs business newtorks applying some standards for business exellence among which are the Supply Chain Operational Refenece (SCOR), as well as the newly launched Design-Chain Operational Refenece (DCOR). Incorporating the both challenges and solutions is in the core of the new ideas for intensifying SMEs business networks in forestry, named VOFIS (virtual office for forest industry support (VOSIF) and virtual educational platform (VEP). These innovative ideas are aimed to contribute to the cross-border cooperation between Bulgaria and FYROM, and are developed in the frame of a joint project of the Bulgarian academy of sciences (BAS) and Macedonian academy of sciences and atrs (MASA).