The draft of the new Forestry Code and of the model that structures the subsequent forestry legislation is in the last lap and must be finalized by the end of May. WWF monitors and is actively engaged in this process as a stakeholder. Last week, we sent our opinion following an extensive questionnaire developed by the project team, where we highlighted the main elements we believe the new Forestry Code should contain.
Developing the studies for the new Forestry Code draft and the recommendations for the subsequent forestry legislation should follow the strategic directions assumed by the National Strategy for Forests 2030 (SNP30). This is the red line of the reforms that was adopted by the Government in October 2022, following a process supported by WWF in which we were actively involved by taking part at the thematic working groups.
For more coherence, but also for the credibility of this participatory process where we are asked to take part, the competent authority must also ensure the harmonization with the related legislation. In this sense, the calendar of these activities must be corroborated with the initiatives to modify other normative acts that are carried out in parallel, which impact forests.
Context
As the Forestry Code was written in 2008 and then randomly patched, without any strategy, the only real solution was to develop a Strategy and draft a new Forestry Code, adapted to current national and European challenges: climate change, forest-dependent communities’ needs, biodiversity strategy, compensatory payments for environmental services, capitalizing on wood and on its superior processing.
Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Romania obliged itself to finalize a new Forestry Code by June 30. The consortium working on the project includes specialists from the „Marin Drăcea” National Forestry Research and Development Institute, the Transilvania University in Brașov and the „Ștefan cel Mare” University in Suceava.