A new Forestry Code in Romania
The Romanian government has approved the new Forestry Code.
Leyla Cheamil, 22.03.2024, 13:50
On the very International Day of Forests, the Romanian government approved a new Forestry Code, developed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. “It is a balanced Forestry Code, which came to life following an extensive, serious and well-argued dialogue with all the actors in the forestry field”, said the Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet. The coming into force of this law is intended to rationalize the legal framework, to combat illegal logging and improve forest management. The document also provides for the establishment of the National Forestry Council, which will bring together all the professional organizations in this field, and the forest owners will be registered in a national forest register.
At the same time, one of the most important provisions prohibits clear-cutting in almost half of the country’s forest area. Until now, clear-cutting was prohibited only in National Parks. Also, the ban will be extended in the Natural Parks. The new Forestry Code will allow the state to reforest those lands that have been deforested and abandoned by the owners, and the Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, said that there are many such cases. He also mentioned that this bill establishes the legal framework for the digitized fight against illegal forest logging, using satellite images and smart cameras. At the same time, the new Forestry Code entitles forest owners, be they state institutions or private entities or individuals, to alternative security solutions: from specialized structures to security ensured by own means and based on regulations, specifying that forest security is mandatory by law.
Also, the bill establishes the communities dependent on the forest products and prioritizes them in relation to access to forest resources and introduces the phrase “agroforestry use” which means that pastures and agricultural crops will be able to be integrated with trees and shrubs. The bill also establishes the setting up of the National Forestry Council, which monitors and ensures that the forestry personnel operate in conditions of professional ethics, with the observance of professional standards. Ecosystems with high conservation value are defined and the National Catalog of ecosystems with high conservation value – strictly protected – is established. According to another provision, a new concept is introduced, the so-called “aging islands”, which become the mechanism through which forest areas covering at least 0.1 ha, with a great role in maintaining biodiversity, will be protected from cutting. Last but not least, another provision regulates access on foot or by bicycle to the lands of the National Forestry Authority. The new Forestry Code was sent by the government to Parliament, which will analyze and approve it in the form of a law that will replace the old code dating from 2008. (LS)
