Romania is still dependent on firewood and the wood industry contributes 3.5% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests Mircea Fechet told a specialist conference on Thursday.
„‘The Wood Balance in Romania’ will be a tool that will provide the public with a wealth of information, and I believe that access to data, access to such information is vital, especially when we discuss wood or forests, a subject that has generated a lot of emotion and public dialogue over time. I want to express here my commitment to continue this tool, to continue its development, whether we are talking about financial resources or even more important resources, namely the huge amount of data we have available today in SUMAL. We are talking about millions or hundreds of millions of figures, information that helps us have a general overview, but more importantly, it helps us make the right decisions in the future. Maybe if we had had such a tool five or ten years ago, the wood industry in Romania would have been a little more competitive. We’ve already noticed that Romania is still deeply dependent on firewood. Millions of people use firewood to get through the cold season,’ Fechet said.
The minister also pointed out that, currently, the wood industry in Romania contributes 3.5% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
„I acknowledge the importance of the wood industry here. About 3.5% of Romania’s GDP is due to this industry. I am glad that, within the Forest Dialogue Group, we can sit at the same table, not only decision-makers but also companies, industry representatives, academia, and research institutes. I assure you of this desire and promise I have always made, regarding citizens’ access to public interest information, regarding access to these data for any interested parties, because transparency never harms. To the extent that we manage to become more transparent, I also believe that civil society, citizens in general, will better understand and become an even healthier partner in these efforts we are undertaking,’ the official said.
According to data compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (MMSAP), contained in the „Wood Balance in Romania” report for the years 2023 and 2024, 91% of the wood exploited in the country comes from managed forests in the national forest fund and 58% from public forests, while 32% comes from private forests. At the same time, 30% of the exploited wood was shipped as certified under the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) system.
Additionally, 90% of the individuals who exploited wood in 2023 and 2024 own forest properties of under 5 hectares, with 50% owning forest properties of less than one hectare.
According to the source, 55% of the legal entities that exploited wood in the reference period own properties of under 30 hectares. Also, 55% of the volume extracted in 2024 was exploited on extraction distances of over 500 metres.
The Forest Dialogue Group organised the conference on Thursday on the theme „The Wood Balance in Romania,” a project implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Environment.
AGERPRES
