Forest Administration in Romania: Frequent Problems and Expectations

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the status and evolution of forest administration in Romania in terms of forest regime, as well as to highlight the most frequent problems and common expectations of forest district managers. Underlying the presented results are an analysis of the compiled statistical indicators used in Romanian forestry and the outcome of a sociological survey conducted on a sample of 345 forest district managers. In early 2013, over 4.4 million hectares of state, public and private forest land were administered by state and experimental forest districts, and over 1.7 million hectares of forest land, other than state-owned, by private forest districts. Note that approximately 0.36 million hectares (over 5% of Romania’s forest area) are not in the administration of specialized units, contrary to the legal provisions. The most frequent problems faced by forest district managers arise in relation to the owners of forests or are caused by illegal logging. This study is a contribution to making the concrete problems faced by foresters and especially the structure and ownership related characteristics of forestland the driving force of legislative changes in the forestry sector.