Environment minister Mircea Fechet and the mayor of Tulcea, Stefan Ilie, signed on Tuesday the financing contract for the largest urban forest in Romania, covering more than 60 hectares, which will be created under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

During the press conference held on this occasion, minister Mircea Fechet praised the project proposed by the Tulcea authority as an „ambitious” one, given that at the time of the development of the funding guide the governmental authority was expecting projects of a few hectares.

„The urban forest means certain species and very high densities, it is a type of forest recently brought to Romania, but I am convinced that it will soon be given as an example of good practice. (…) The forest that we will grow in Tulcea is the largest in terms of surface area in Romania,” mentioned the Environment minister.

The government official said that the call for the submission of projects for the financing of urban forests through the PNRR is still open and that so far about 30 projects have been submitted.

„The characteristics of an urban forest are quite different from those of a forest we are used to. (…) Its purpose is not necessarily that of recreation in the middle of the forest, but rather to provide a green lung for the city in which it was set up,” said Fechet.

The mayor of Tulcea, Stefan Ilie, said that the reforestation will be carried out on an area of 61.42 hectares, in seven areas of the city, the total amount of non-reimbursable funding allocated under the PNRR being 5,834,910 euro.

„We are presently trying to succeed in conducting the procurement of the works as soon as possible. We will go through some bureaucratic procedures and we will have to get some approvals from institutions coordinated by the Ministry of Environment,” said Stefan Ilie.

According to the local authority, the project was initiated by the Graffcity association.

AGERPRES