Strategic Priorities for Forest Management in 2025

Here are the strategic priorities we propose for the protection and sustainable management of forests in the coming year:

1. Adjusting the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)

Given that Romania's allocated funds for Investment I1 (non-reimbursable funds) cannot be fully absorbed by 2026, we think it is necessary to revise the National Afforestation and Reforestation Campaign, to include new complementary investments:

• Conservation of forests outside the National Forestry Fund – This refers to approximately 500,000 hectares of forests outside the national forestry fund and another 2 million hectares of land designated for agroforestry use. The funds are essential to cover the costs related to mapping and inventorying these lands, developing management plans specific to agroforestry use, and compensating landowners for the economic disadvantages resulting from adopting an agroforestry land use regime. These measures will significantly impact agriculture and forestry, as they will facilitate the implementation of EU Regulation 115/2023 (EUDR) regarding placing certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation on the EU market and their export from the EU, as well as repealing Regulation (EU) No. 995/2010.
• Strengthening infrastructure to combat illegal logging and increasing the use of environmentally friendly technologies:
  • Developing the „Integrated Forest Information System” platform, as established by the newly approved Forestry Code (PNRR, Installment III).
  • Creating the „Digital Footprint of Timber Transport” app, which will allow the rapid determination of transported wood quantities/volumes and the automatic generation of an „electronic seal” for timber materials. This will enhance transparency and institutional capacity for control plans (as per SNP 30 – PNRR Milestone).
  • Addressing systemic non-compliance issues in logging related to water, soil, and vegetation protection by developing forestry infrastructure and logistics. This will contribute to the adoption of environmentally friendly technologies and transitioning from the „stumpage-sales system” (standing timber sales) to processed timber sales (in line with SNP 30 & NCS targets – PNRR Milestone).
• Providing compensatory payments for private forest owners whose forests are designated as strictly protected areas under PNRR Investment I 3.2. Identifying potential strict protection areas in terrestrial and marine natural habitats to implement the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Payments should cover compensation for the 2025-2027 period, until the new EU financial framework for 2027-2034 takes effect, or be provided as final lump sum payments.

The ultimate goal is to avoid the loss of non-reimbursable funds allocated to Romania through PNRR Investment I1 and to support new alternative investments that address key challenges related to combating illegal logging, conserving environmental values, and expanding the national forestry fund (in line with new targets assumed by the government through the National Forest Strategy 2030, developed under the current PNRR).

2. Dedicated Funds for Forest Conservation in the next European financial framework

Given Romania’s commitment to biodiversity conservation by designating 10% of its territory as strictly protected areas, Romania must take a regional leadership role in advocating for the next European Financial Framework to establish a dedicated fund for forests (considering the upcoming Forest Monitoring Law) or at least allocate dedicated forest funding within a new biodiversity fund (considering conservation requirements for the Natura 2000 Network and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030) and nature restoration (considering the Nature Restoration Law).

The coming months are crucial for EU Member States, especially those in Central and Eastern Europe, which are richer in forests and biodiversity, to collaborate and support this solution together.

Effective and inclusive forest conservation is only possible if these efforts are reflected in the future EU budget for 2027-2034. WWF-Romania, along with WWF organizations from Central and Eastern Europe, supports this initiative to ensure efficient forest conservation in the next EU budget, given the accelerating climate crisis.

3. Reform of RNP Romsilva and Unlocking PNRR Funds

An Emergency Ordinance (OUG) is needed to mandate public debates in the selection process for the administrators of state-owned enterprises under government control—especially regarding the development of expectation letters for each state-owned enterprise.

These debates should focus specifically on two aspects:

• Identifying and assigning public service obligations – “the set of special duties assigned to state enterprises that a private enterprise would not assume economically in the normal course of business, designated through legal norms to ensure an organized and continuous public service.”
• Establishing non-financial performance indicators specific to the sector.

The final goal is to restore public trust in the government and ensure that state-owned enterprises, under the control of central public authorities, are managed in the interest of citizens and society.  Revision of OM 1134 /2024

4. Implementing Key Reforms from the National Forestry Strategy 2030

• Timber Sales Regulation – Payments for contracted and harvested timber should be made only for the quantities of wood declared at the time of market introduction, not based on estimated standing timber volume. This is a core reform for forest management, impacting timber sales regulations, forest protection regulations, and the overall national system for combating illegal logging.
• Timber Traceability System – The core elements of the timber traceability system architecture, outlined in the National Forest Strategy, must be properly established through a Government Decision on the Integrated Forest Information System.
• SUMAL 3.0 is the chance for simplicity, transparency, and efficiency by:
  • Solving the issue of fraudulent timber origin declarations through offline use of the mobile application.
  • Setting the basis for the operationalization of the „digital footprint of timber transports”, including electronic cargo sealing, automated digital measurement, and quick assessment of transported timber volumes.
  • Implementing a forest vegetation monitoring system using satellite imagery and video surveillance of timber transportation.
• Promoting high-value timber processing – The Timber Sales Regulation should include clear requirements that promote timber use chains with the highest added economic value. This ensures that wood as a raw material is used in its most valuable form, through high-end processing into long-lasting products. Cascading wood utilization principles—where wood is processed into products with the longest lifespan and highest economic value—help reduce logging pressure and support nature-based forestry, producing high-value timber assortments.
• Maintaining nature-based forestry practices – These sustainable forestry practices, consistently applied for over 100 years, have preserved Romania’s invaluable natural heritage and should remain in the revised Forestry Norms.
• Developing legal procedures for identifying and designating „forest-dependent communities” and establishing a legal framework to facilitate their access to forest resources.
• Developing best practices for managing high-value silvopastoral mosaic landscapes, which integrate grasslands, shrub lands, and forests to enhance ecosystem resilience, ecological connectivity, and rural community development.