Vision for the development of forestry policy

Note: This document is the result of the voluntary work of a group of specialists during several months in the year 2021. The content of the document must be related to the context of the forestry sector at that time. FDG members were part of this team.

Introduction

The purpose of the forestry policy vision

The experience of recent years in terms of public debates has shown that, in addition to an image crisis of the national forestry sector, there is a deep crisis of intra- and intersectoral communication, which has repeatedly led to either decisional blockages or over- regulation and under-financing, either to the postponement of the adoption of some programmatic documents (for example: the national forestry strategy) or of the creation of specific intra- or intersectoral structures.

Such situations were and are caused by the lack of an assumed and agreed vision, reflected in an incoherence of the forestry policy, inevitable in the conditions in which the periods of institutional stability of the public authority responsible for forests did not exceed one electoral cycle, and the mandates secretaries of state, since 2007, have rarely exceeded one year. Noting that this state of fact caused moments of real institutional amnesia, this document proposed the creation of a vision of sustainable forest management, to be identified in a proposal for a new forestry policy, in line with international strategic documents and with the current challenges in the national forestry sector and in Romanian society.

The process and the result itself are addressed to all those involved in the development of the forestry sector, wanting to be the expression of the widest possible consensus of the interested factors, based on objectivity and expertise. The document provides political decision-makers and governmental and non-governmental structures with an active role in initiating and supporting public policies a basis for a structured dialogue regarding the development directions of the national forestry policy. The implementation of the formulated principles requires the identification, through an effective and constructive communication between all interested parties, of the specific directions of action, necessary to be integrated in a new legislative approach to be constituted in a clear regulatory system, easy to monitor and efficient in terms of practical results.

Argument for a new vision

Forest management is of particular interest at global, European and national level, taking into account the multitude of ecosystem services they provide. Forests play a decisive role in the fulfillment of global objectives according to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of forests, as well as stopping the decline of biodiversity are global objectives. Forests also play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and its effects, but also in ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.

The lack of a national and unitary vision of sustainable forest management to be implemented in an assumed and realistic strategic framework represents the main systemic risk for the national forest fund.

Forestry policy in Romania is based on a long tradition in establishing and implementing the principles of sustainable management of forest resources, an aspect proven especially by the functional zoning system, which far preceded the current approaches to sustainable management of forests in other European countries. This has materialized in a rigorous forestry regime, with a thorough scientific and technical foundation, created to function efficiently under the conditions of a form of state ownership of forests.

In the last 30 years, Romania has gone through a period of transition to the market economy with major institutional changes that took place in the forestry sector through the retrocession of forests and the privatization of the wood exploitation and industrialization sector. At the regulatory level, a rigid legislative system was maintained, based almost entirely on command and control instruments, a system not adapted to the new socio-economic challenges and to the new biodiversity conservation strategies. However, this system did not have the expected efficiency, an aspect that is reflected in an obvious social tension, involving all groups interested in and affected by forest management: private owners, state and private forestry administration, exploitation and industrialization companies, environmental protection organizations , civil society, etc.

In the conditions of global climate change, forest management and exploitation practices and tools need constant adaptation to environmental and social changes. At the same time, the increasing number of strategies related to the forestry field creates a complex and fragmented political environment that must integrate diverse and often conflicting objectives, resulting from the biodiversity conservation strategy, the bio-economy strategy or the rural development strategy. It is thus necessary to create a forestry policy vision that ensures a good governance approach based on the coherence of forestry legislation, accountability and transparency and that allows active synergies with other sectors that influence or are affected by forest management.

The forest: heritage, environment, resource

Romania, recognized as the green heart of Europe

The national forest ecosystems constitute a reservoir of biodiversity for Europe, Romania being the only country of the European Union (EU) on whose territory there are five biogeographical regions and a special diversity of flora and fauna.

Biodiversity conservation is a priority objective for more than 40% of Romania’s forests integrated into the network of protected natural areas, for which specific management measures are defined in the management plans. Romania also preserves important areas of forest with primary structures, compared to other countries in the temperate zone, forests for which there is a legislative requirement for strict identification and protection.

The value of this natural heritage must be recognized by the EU and supported including financially through financing schemes that specifically address the provision of biodiversity conservation services.

A stable and healthy environment adapted to the risks induced by climate change

Forests are a capital whose value is given by the continuity of the ecosystem services they provide to society. Regulating ecosystem services are a priority objective for 13% of EU forests, while in Romania, the functional zoning of forests assigns special soil, water and climate protection functions to approximately 42% of forests.

The continuity of the provision of these functions can be affected both by the risks induced by climate change and by the interest of forest owners in obtaining benefits from the use of forest property. The provision of these services to society must be guaranteed to the same extent as respecting the rights of the owners to capitalize on them. Failure to grant fair compensation to owners whose forests have special protective functions has led to a significant extent to illegal logging practices or property alienation.

The risks induced by climate change require a constant adaptation of forest management practices and ways to bring the technical decision as close as possible to the forest, allowing the specialist to adapt the necessary measures to the concrete situation.

The forest, a renewable resource generating multiple social and economic benefits

Economic viability is a key pillar of sustainable forest management and is important for forest conservation and sustaining the multiple benefits forests provide to society.

Forestry contributes to the socio-economic development of local communities in the Romanian countryside by diversifying the economy, supporting the superior utilization of forest products, retaining income at the local level and preserving the cultural identity of local communities. The social role of forests is also important from the perspective of securing jobs, especially in rural areas. In Europe, it is estimated that at least 3 million jobs are provided by the forestry sector. In Romania, jobs offered to members of local communities in the forestry sector make a major contribution to preventing labor migration.

Principles of forest management

Grounding and rigorous evaluation of forest management policies

The implementation of public policies and the permanent evaluation of the results is based on rigorous monitoring indicators of the state of Romania’s forests and the socio-ecological and economic impact of forest management.

Establishing sustainable forest management objectives and indicators in accordance with the FOREST EUROPE process and developing/detailing them at regional level.
Evaluation of the performance of public policies by defining monitoring indicators of the achievement of sustainable management objectives (for example: biodiversity, compositional structure, productivity, regeneration mode, vitality, etc.), of the socio-ecological impact of forest management activities and of the socio- economy of the forestry sector.
The public authority ensures the financing, implementation and development of tools for evaluating the results of forestry policies (for example, the development of the national forest inventory as a central, but not unique, evaluation tool).
The transparency of the evaluation process of the monitoring indicators (methodology, results, their validation and evaluation) is ensured. The results of monitoring the implementation of public policy objectives are publicly available.
The results of the evaluation of the monitoring indicators are used to establish the current strategic directions, to identify the most effective policy instruments for forest management and to stimulate innovation and applied research in finding technical solutions to the identified problems.

The prevalence of the obligation of result in the application of forest management measures

The management objectives are transposed into result obligations through which the forest management performances are evaluated. The technical methods used are important, but not priority.

The state establishes and regulates result obligations for monitoring biodiversity, productivity, regenerative capacity and vitality of stands and for monitoring the economic, ecological and social impact of forest management activities.
Result obligations are differentiated in relation to the scale and intensity of application of forest management operations and are identified, wherever possible, by measurable indicators (for example: optimal base area, number of future trees, criteria for evaluating the success of regenerations, etc. ).
Forest planning is the instrument by which forest management objectives and result obligations are established. The information from the forest management also shows the quality of the value determinations (for example, precision, tolerance, etc.). For small private properties, management objectives are defined at the stand level.
The information on the management objectives established at the stand level is integrated into the Single Register of Forest Records, a digital data platform to which the relevant decision-makers have access.
The forestry rules of forest exploitation define result indicators formulated in relation to the measures to reduce the negative social, environmental and silvicultural impact of the exploitation activity.
The responsibility of forest management is to find the methods and tools most suitable to the concrete situation to achieve the required results. This implies the application of good practice guidelines but also the stimulation of innovation and applied research.

Maintaining the integrity and stimulating the growth of forest area

The state guarantees the maintenance of the integrity of the forest areas included in the forest fund through clear regulatory instruments. At the same time, the state creates financial support measures for the integration of other areas of land into the forestry circuit.

The area of forests included in the forest fund cannot decrease.
For the areas covered with forest vegetation not included in the forest fund, the state establishes financial support mechanisms to attract the owners in the implementation of silvicultural works with the aim of increasing the carbon sequestration capacity and providing basic ecosystem services.
The state ensures the increase of the area covered with forests and trees, with priority in deficit areas, through support instruments for the afforestation of degraded agricultural lands or that no longer meet the needs of agricultural crops and by establishing forest curtains. The purpose of these afforestations is to reduce pressure on natural forests, improve environmental conditions and sequester carbon.
Management goals for wooded areas outside the forest fund are established by the owners within the limits of compliance with some basic technical criteria.

Representativeness, ecological connectivity and functionality in biodiversity conservation

Biodiversity conservation is addressed as a priority through the national network of protected areas, through the national network of representative forest ecosystems and through the technical substantiation of specific biodiversity conservation measures at tree stand level.

Consolidation of effective management of significant concentrations of biodiversity at regional, national or local level, sheltered by the network of natural protected areas in Romania with the scientifically based reevaluation of conservation objectives and measures and their integration with the planning tools of forest management measures.
Designation of a network of Representative Forest Ecosystems to which special functions of nature protection are assigned, based on a scientific and technical substantiation of the criteria of representativeness and functionality. This network also integrates the National Catalog of Virgin and Quasi-Virgin Forests, aiming to update it.
Conservation of forest ecosystems at the landscape level by maintaining or restoring a mosaic of species, sizes and ages consistent with regional characteristics and natural conditions.
Conservation of forest genetic resources to ensure the adaptability of populations and species in a changing environment by maintaining an appropriate level of genetic diversity.
The adoption of management measures aimed at maintaining representative biodiversity elements at the arboretum level (such as the maintenance and management of “biodiversity trees”, “dead wood”, species of community interest, etc.)
Maintenance and conservation of marginal habitats (wetlands, natural rarities, riparian vegetation, rocky outcrops/gravels, built-up ecosystems of herbaceous species, natural thickets, saline lands).

Continuity of basic ecosystem services and fair compensation of additional ecosystem services

Forest management involves the implementation of technical measures to ensure the continuous supply of basic ecosystem services, which are mandatory regardless of the form of ownership and the area under ownership.

The state establishes the mandatory criteria that must be met for the provision of basic ecosystem services as well as clear indicators for effective monitoring of their fulfillment, depending on the scale and intensity of application of forest management operations.
The criteria established in the definition of basic ecosystem services take into account ensuring the continuity of seasonal potential and high conservation values, the continuity of timber harvests and sustainable harvesting levels of non-timber products.
The maximum sustainable level of wood production is achieved taking into account management goals, wood stock growth indicators, respectively the scale and intensity of forest management operations.
The criteria for the provision of basic ecosystem services are transposed into legal provisions, and all forest owners have the responsibility to ensure their fulfillment.

In relation to functional zoning, technical measures are established for the provision of specific ecosystem services, measures established through legal procedures and good practice guidelines.

In relation to functional zoning, forest management measures will be differentiated regarding:
- specific measures for the conservation of biodiversity elements and the adoption of measures from the management plans of protected areas;
- specific measures for the provision of regulatory ecosystem services (soil protection, water protection, etc.);
- necessary measures to increase the stability of stands to the action of biotic and abiotic factors and to adapt forests to climate change;
- specific measures to increase carbon sequestration capacity.
- specific measures for providing social, cultural services and meeting the basic needs of local communities.
Functional zoning is correlated with types of functional categories to provide a clear differentiation of the technical measures required to achieve the identified functions.
The legal procedures and good practice guidelines establishing the specific measures are developed under the coordination of the public authority responsible for forests.

The provision of ecosystem services to society is guaranteed to the same extent as respecting the rights of owners to exploit the ecosystem services provided by forests.

The provision of specific ecosystem services, which require the adoption of restrictions above the level of legally binding criteria, can only be imposed by implementing a transparent and fair compensation or compensation scheme.
Legal entities and public institutions that benefit economically from the ecosystem services provided by forests pay the value of these services.

Adaptarea sistemului forestier la riscurile induse de schimbările climatice și la realizarea unei economii neutrale climatic

Adaptation of forests through innovative silvotechniques or increased resilience to climate change

The adaptation of forests to climate change is achieved through active and integrated management measures, where forests are not included in strictly protected areas.
Increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems and forest management activities to climate change requires the application of risk assessment systems and the prevention of negative impacts generated by extreme natural phenomena that cause disruptions (windfalls, natural fires, tree drying, snow breaks, insect attacks, etc.), increasingly present in the context of climate change.
The management measures aim, as a priority, to preserve and restore the natural type of forest, through natural regeneration or by using local resources. Fundamental natural forest types are reassessed according to current seasonal conditions.
In forests with a production role, technical measures aim to maximize the seasonal potential in relation to management objectives, thus contributing to carbon sequestration and storage.

Managing short-term forest carbon accounting to 2030 and preparing the forest sector to contribute to a climate-neutral economy in the mid-21st century, according to EU and global commitments (UNFCCC)

Implementation by the forestry authority of a monitoring tool in order to manage the amounts of greenhouse gases emitted/absorbed during the commitment periods of emission reductions from forests and the use of wood products (in conjunction with other measures associated with the LULUCF sector).
Implementation of a financial mechanism for the distribution of the possible surplus of emission reductions from forest management, the stock of carbon immobilized in durable wood products and land in conversion to and from forest.
Promoting the cascading use of wood through specific action plans, with a view to increasing the stock of immobilized carbon in durable goods and the reuse of wood mass, using the most advanced wood processing technologies, from the point of view of ecological impact. The action plans will prioritize: the valorization and superior processing of wood in long-life products; diversification of target assortments, established by facilities; selective collection of wood waste and end-of-life furniture; conditioning public purchases on the acquisition of certificates of sustainable wood provenance.
In order to reduce the pressure on natural forests, the state facilitates the realization of plantations and intensive crops outside the forest fund, with the establishment of clear criteria regarding the species that can be used and the way of further land use.

Stimulating emission reductions through land management using internal market mechanisms and financial support measures

The creation of market mechanisms to monitor and trade carbon quotas resulting from afforestation projects and/or obtain tax reductions to stimulate the reduction of emissions from afforestation activities on non-forest lands for national economic agents.
The state implements financial support mechanisms for silvotechnical measures that do not bring direct economic benefits to the owners, but are vital for increasing the stability of stands and the degree of carbon storage (for example, restoring degraded stands affected by natural or anthropogenic disturbances, carrying out care and pre-commercial management for small private properties).

Administrative efficiency

The state minimizes costs, as well as administrative and bureaucratic obstacles, for the activities it wants to promote to be carried out by forest owners and managers in order to improve the quality, productivity, vitality and regenerative capacity of forests.

The state develops simplified and efficient administrative procedures to support the execution of afforestation works, the execution of arboretum care and management works and the promotion of natural regeneration.
The state develops a specific strategy supported by a legal framework to support and support the accessibility of forests by:
- public and private investments in the construction of forest roads to reach a density close to the need for sustainable forest management; and
- the possibility of concessioning existing roads by the administrators/owners served by these roads or by public-private partnerships to ensure the financing of road maintenance.
The state supports the use of wood exploitation technologies with low impact on the environment, specific to the geo-morphological conditions characteristic of our country.
The administrative tasks imposed by the state must be substantiated by an evaluation of the costs derived from them and the efficiency of their implementation.
The provision of forestry services for the owners is ensured through forestry management units (forest enclaves), stimulating competitiveness and the quality of the administrative act.

The state implements an effective system of assessment, authorization and circulation of wood to reduce systemic conflicts of interest and facilitate the transparent declaration and monitoring of all timber entries into the market, in order to track the legality and traceability of entries, as well as their taxation.

Regardless of the form of capitalization (wood on the leg or shaped wood), the evaluation and declaration of the volume entering the market is carried out at the time of approval of the transport at the declared point of entry into the market, through a joint reception assumed by the administrator/owner and the economic agent.
The act of evaluating the wood mass per foot is a supporting document, the volume entering the market is determined by measuring the shaped wood at the declared point of approval and which constitutes the basic element in establishing the legal provenance of the wood materials.
The approved volumes are integrated into the IT system for tracking traceability and monitoring shipments used to quantify timber entering the market and to detect illegal shipments.
The control system of exploited volumes must focus on the first placing on the market of wood and wood products, as well as on mechanisms to prevent illegal transport (the control will be mainly directed at the segment of putting wood into circulation from the forest to first deposit).
The state implements simplified procedures for the assessment, authorization and transport of non-tradeable timber (timber not subject to EUTR requirements).

Ensuring the recreation functions of forests and the development objectives of local communities

The state ensures the population’s access to the recreational and sanogenic services offered by the forest, with the establishment of rules for the use of the right of access.

Public access to the forest for recreational purposes is allowed according to criteria established by law and respecting the right of forest owners or administrators to impose access restrictions.
Access to forest resources that are exploited for commercial purposes is only with the consent of the forest owner.
The level and methods of sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products are determined on the basis of the best available information established in relation to the nature of the product and the potential negative impact on natural heritage species.

The state supports the proper development of urban forests functionally included in forests of social interest, in order to fulfill these functions.

The state ensures an adequate legislative framework that allows the implementation of projects for the development of park forests around the localities with the development of access infrastructure, the provision of facilities for recreation in nature and forestry education.

The state develops a system for identifying the role of forests in ensuring the social needs of local communities and establishes objective criteria for their provision.

The transparent and proactive involvement of local communities in the forest management planning process is promoted as a good practice measure. Forestry management aims to respect their rights, reduce the potential negative impact of forestry operations and take into account the socio-economic development objectives of local communities.
The socio-economic development of local communities is supported by stimulating the utilization and superior processing of wood in order to increase the added value at the local level.
The forestry policy promotes the local population’s access to the basic forest products from the publicly owned forests based on clear, non-discriminatory criteria and application objectives.

Principles of good governance

Legislative coherence and accountability

The state transparently and efficiently exercises the following roles: a) regulation, b) monitoring and control, c) institutional support and d) forest owner

A. Regulatory role

Creating a simplified and efficient regulatory framework for forest management.

The state prioritizes the establishment of a new regulatory framework for the forestry sector, redefined in accordance with the principles of sustainable management agreed through a broad consensus with the affected groups and those interested in forest management.
In order to increase institutional efficiency, the state implements an institutionalized dialogue platform based on representativeness and professionalism, reducing the influence of the political factor and the effects of political instability in the process of formulating forestry policy instruments.
Stability in the exercise of public functions and the elimination of temporary delegations will be pursued, in order to reduce as much as possible the influence of the political factor in technical decisions and in the actions of the officials of the central public authority responsible for forestry.
Clear responsibilities are established on the key players in the forestry sector based on a set of ethical and technical criteria for evaluating companies in the field (forestry companies, logging companies, management and other forestry services, transport and processing) and the conditions regarding temporary withdrawal or finalization of the operating certificates.

B. The role of monitoring and control

Exercising control by defining measurable result objectives and due diligence indicators (recommended technical measures) for meeting the result objectives.

The state regulates, through simple and clear legislative provisions, the mandatory result criteria that must be met in the management of forests and in the wood exploitation activity.
Transparent control procedures are established following a risk-based approach and objective and transparent control prioritization criteria as well as a clear reporting of the effectiveness of the control body.
The state regulates a system of effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions to promote respect for the spirit and letter of the law.
The state establishes a code of ethical and professional conduct for personnel with control duties and establishes appropriate performance indicators in the exercise of control duties.

Ensuring effective stakeholder participation in passive monitoring and control as a way to deter potential conflicts of interest and to increase institutional capacity, supplementing legislation focused primarily on command and control instruments.

The transparency of information on management objectives, approved timber volumes and the market entry point is supported by tools accessible to the general public, stimulating the possibility of passive control and real-time notification of possible irregularities.
The state implements a transparent system for reporting alerts generated by wood traceability systems to all affected factors (operator, administrator/provider of forestry services, forest guard, police, gendarmerie, etc.).
The state establishes an online public record system of control registers.

Implementation of a monitoring, prevention and response network to the risks induced by climate change.

The state implements a network to monitor the risks induced by climate change with the establishment of prevention and response measures that also include small forest properties (for example, national system of prevention and response in case of fires or calamities caused by biotic factors) .

C. The role of institutional support

Development of the existing information platform into a multifunctional and integrated data platform in the form of a Single Register of Forest Records.

The public authority ensures the implementation of a multifunctional data platform in which it records data on:
- spatial delimitation of forest properties and form of ownership;
- inventory data/landscape data at owner and tree level;
- legally established management obligations and identified by result indicators and proposed works;
- the obligations imposed additionally by management plans of protected areas;
- the objectives assumed by accessing financing schemes;
- declaration of the approval point of shaped wood and the quantities of wood extracted and placed on the market.
The information required to be provided in the data platform is established to ensure planning and transparency of management measures to decision makers.
Registration in the data platform is a mandatory condition for carrying out forestry work, for accessing financial support and for placing wood on the market.
For small properties, the state finances the services of identifying the data required for the Single Register of Forests and registering them in the platform.

Accessing European funds

The state supports accessing European funds for all financial support measures available at the European level (for example, for silvo-environmental measures and support for the development of forestry infrastructure).
The state supports the co-financing of European projects that aim to implement European policies and strategies at the national level.

Creation of a fund to capitalize on ecosystem services provided by forests based on the “beneficiary pays” principle.

The state establishes a functional mechanism through which the counter value of the management costs and the non-realization losses due to the imposed restrictions are provided by the beneficiaries of the environmental services (through the Fund for the Improvement of the Forestry Land Fund).
The forestry land improvement fund is based on transparent and clear methodological criteria for establishing the payment value, collecting the value of the ecosystem services provided to the beneficiaries and redistributing them to the suppliers.

D. The role of the state as owner

The state, as the owner of forests, applies a model of responsible and efficient management of privately owned forests.

For state forests, the administrator implements the good practice procedures established by the public authority to provide the ecosystem services required by society at the maximum level.

The state, as the owner of forests, can benefit from compensation from the forestry land fund improvement fund for the ecosystem services provided to direct beneficiaries, identified as private entities.
The establishment of performance indicators for the management of state forests is carried out through a participatory-transparent process, through the involvement of interested factors.
The state, as the owner of forests, assumes the efficiency of the administrative apparatus and ensures the transparency of the expenses and benefits related to the management of the forests owned.
The state, as a forest owner, assumes the role of mediator of the competition in the wood market, by maintaining the sale value of the wood mass at a competitive and sustainable price, both for the forest owners and for the wood industry. The state, acting as a mediator, will anticipate and discourage large price fluctuations in the timber market and seek to ensure confidence and security for the processing industry.

Respect for property and active accountability

The establishment and implementation of forest policy instruments are done with respect for property rights in forest management.

The state must pursue as a priority the clarification of forest ownership and its stabilization through legislative provisions that stimulate the identification of legitimate owners and the spatial clarification of forest properties. A specific strategy is needed to support the tabulation, regularization and updating of forest land areas, as well as the preparation of the forest cadastre.
The state considers, in establishing technical regulations and administrative procedures, the need to ensure the financial viability of forest management, within the limits of ensuring the continuity of basic ecosystem services.

The owner has full exercise of the rights and obligations related to the forest property, which attracts him to engage his own liability

Forest owners have a direct responsibility to ensure the continuity of basic ecosystem services imposed by the state.
The non-conformities resulting from the application of the mandatory criteria imposed bring sanctions on the owner and burdens on the property; the owner can transfer certain obligations and responsibilities to managers or forest service providers.
The company – through the state – must offer fair compensation for any limitations imposed on the owner, in addition to the basic mandatory criteria, in an amount equivalent to the economic benefits that the owner is obliged to give up and the additional management costs that derive from the management of the property.
Financial support schemes will support the association of small owners, and the fragmentation of individual properties through inheritance will be limited through financial instruments.
The state implements a transparent and properly budgeted mechanism for the exercise of the right of preemption, with priority for private forest areas located in protected areas and for the elimination of enclaves and settled disputes.

Strategic approach and sectoral integration

The state aims, through institutional mechanisms, to identify and harmonize common strategic objectives found in sectoral policies adjacent to the forestry sector at the international, European and national level.

At the institutional level, the state aims to integrate forestry policies with adjacent sectoral policies assumed by treaties, international agreements, directives and European strategies, as well as their transposition at the national level (for example, integration with energy, agricultural, infrastructure, and tourism and rural development etc).
The state is developing, within a participatory process, integrated solutions to reduce the pressure on the forest, to make better use of forest resources, to impose sustainability criteria in the use of forest biomass for energy purposes and to make economic use of ecosystem services.
The state must prioritize solutions to reduce the pressure on forest resources to provide firewood, through policies to stimulate the use of alternative energy sources with lower impact (solar, wind, geotechnical, etc.), especially in isolated areas .

The state stimulates innovation, applied research, continuing education and forestry education programs.

Innovation, applied research and continuous professional training aim to better adapt forest management methods to social and environmental challenges, as well as to increase the competitiveness of the forestry sector.
Forest education programs inform the population about the role of the forest and the renewable character of the forest resource and promote the use of wood from sustainable sources.

Transparency and participation

The state ensures the implementation of a transparent system for public access to current information, with the possibility of using the information platform to generate various thematic reports of public interest.

The state is developing the current information platform into a Single Register of Forests, which presents updated and publicly accessible information on:
- the situation of Romania’s forests and their evolution;
- the location through interconnected GIS databases of strictly protected forests, of those in protected areas, of the network of representative ecosystems and of the restrictive measures imposed in these areas;
- the situation of the forest properties and the proposed management measures;
- the situation of flows of round wood inputs in the market;
- the situation of the implementation of financing programs;
- the public record system of control registers.
The Single Register of Forests is integrated with the European forest information system.

The state facilitates a participatory process both in establishing forest policy instruments and in planning management objectives.

The state ensures the transparent and proactive involvement of stakeholders in the planning and decision-making process regarding forest policies and the planning of forest management activities.
The state implements a procedure for consulting the factors interested in the management of the national forest fund, through biannual online and public consultations.

Contributors

This document was created with the voluntary contribution of the following specialists:

Adrian Băban (Business Forest)
Laura Bouriaud (Universitatea “Ștefan cel Mare” Suceava)
Viorel Blujdea (Universitatea Transilvania Brasov)
Ilie Covrig (USAMV Cluj Napoca)
Marian Drăgoi (Universitatea “Ștefan cel Mare” Suceava)
Daniel Nicolaescu (Asociația Administratorilor de Păduri)
Bogdan Popa (Universitatea Transilvania Brasov)
Sorin Sfîrlogea (Leanergy Consulting)
Erika Stanciu (Propark)
Gabriel Stanciu (Asociația Administratorilor de Păduri)
Alexandru Orban (NEPCon Romania)
Radu Vlad (WWF România)

Coordination of the development process:

Liviu Nichiforel (Universitatea “Ștefan cel Mare” Suceava)
Ramona–Elena Scriban (Universitatea “Ștefan cel Mare” Suceava)