Romania, a major exporter of beech furniture, is privatising forests
Increasing the forest sector’s overall share and the added value of wood, while supporting the country's hundreds of thousands of private forest owners on their way towards sustainable forestry: these are the challenges and goals of the Romanian forest policy.
The Central and Eastern Europe Forest Information Project of Metla gathers baseline information on the Romanian forest sector. In the autumn of 2011, Metla will organise a training event focusing on Romania's business environment and a study and networking visit to Bucharest and its vicinity.
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Timber harvesting completed in the mountains. Photo: Agent-garak (terms of use) |
Inadequate road infrastructure in the mountain areas hampers harvesting
Over one fourth of Romania’s territory of 230,000 square kilometres is forest. The total stand volume is 1.3 billion cubic metres. Annual growth was 5.4 cubic metres per hectare in 2009. Commercial forests account for 52 per cent of forests, with approximately 15 million cubic metres of timber harvested annually. An inadequate road infrastructure is the main problem confronting timber harvesting. In 2009, the Romanian state owned 55 per cent of the country’s forest area.
Romania has 58 native tree species. Beech and fir are the dominant species, accounting for almost two thirds of the overall stand. Mountain forests are characteristic of Romania, accounting for almost 65 per cent of the entire forest area. In mountain areas, e.g. the Carpathians, coniferous and beech forests are dominant. In the other areas, various beeches and oaks are among the key species. The north-eastern reaches of the country are important to conifer forestry.
Exports account for 80 per cent of furniture production
The forest sector employs 1.4 per cent of the country's active labour force. In comparison to other Central and Eastern European countries, in Romania the forest sector plays a significant role in the national economy: in 2007, the forest sector generated 3.5 per cent of GNP. Romania exports sawnwood, wood-based panels and wood furniture. Roundwood exports are minimal.
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Caption: Romania's goal is to expand the forest area by at least 200,000 hectares through afforestation. Photo: Aktron / Wikimedia Commons (terms of use) |
Exports are especially important in the furniture industry, where they account for 80 per cent of total production. Chipboard production increased significantly in the 2000s, while pulp production, for example, was cut back. The country now imports large quantities of paper, cardboard and the associated derivative products.
Forestry policy aimed at private forests and their sustainable management
The key goal of Romania’s forestry policy is to increase the forest sector’s share of the economy, through the sustainable management and use of forest resources. Strategic goals include developing the institutional framework of forestry, while taking account of various forms of forest ownership and increasing the added value of wood. The goal is to expand the forest area by at least 200,000 hectares through afforestation.
In Romania, forest privatisation occurred in several waves in the 1990s and 2000s. Restoration of title to the original owners of nationalised forests is far from complete. Privately owned forest properties are very small, with forest owners numbering in the hundreds of thousands. A chief goal of the forestry policy is to support private forest owners in sustainable forestry and forest management.
Further information
- Researcher Juhani Marttila, phone: +358 29 532 3181, juhani.marttila @ metla.fi
- FORTCOMING: Atlas of the forest sector in Romania