Romania has over 29% of its territory covered with forest and, however, the lack of a national plan has transformed the forest from a public policy topic into one of emotional debate, which is why we have proposed a concrete strategic framework for strategic and digitalized forest management, claims the president of the Romanian Foresters Association (ASFOR), Ciprian Musca.
"In the Hall of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, in front of the elite of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, we talked about the future. Not about abstract rhetoric, but about what Romania has not allowed itself for 35 years: a real national project, approved by Parliament and respected by the Government, regardless of political color. This is the essence: without strategic stability, Romania cannot reach its potential for sustainable, digital power. The forest - the nation's greatest natural asset - cannot be administered every 6 months, depending on electoral cycles. Romania has a resource that many countries dream of: our forests are growing. We cover over 29% of the territory with forest resources, we have an expanding carbon stock and we support a vital industry for villages and cities. We have generations of foresters who have maintained a rare balance in Europe. And However, the lack of a national plan has transformed the forest from a public policy topic into one of emotional debate.
The truth is simple: The forest should neither be mythologized nor demonized. It must be managed professionally, with modern tools, responsibility and a long-term vision. That is why we proposed to the Academy what we consider the Romania 2025-2040 concept: Strategic and Digitalized Forest Management - a concrete strategic framework, not a festive speech," claims Musca, in an editorial published on Monday.
According to the cited source, Romania can double the use of wood in public construction and integrate Romanian furniture into state procurement, as developed countries do. "We can have villages heated with local biomass, digitally designed energy-efficient houses and wood value chains connected to artificial intelligence. Only one condition: to want, to plan and to continue regardless of the Government," the specialist believes.
The National Plan for Forests and Wood (2025-2040), proposed by ASFOR, has six mandatory directions: Increasing the Forested Area, including through natural regeneration on abandoned lands; Reindustrialization and Technologization - with a target of 80% of AI-assisted forestry processes by 2035; Real Support for Wood Construction - a target of 30% in new public buildings; Education and Vocational Training - for a new generation of digital foresters; Sustainable Fair Transition - measures for the 3.5 million households dependent on firewood, the relaunch of the "Stove Scrap" program; Dedicated and Predictable Financing - based on the models of Austria and France.
"These objectives cannot be implemented at the whim of political chance, but only through a legislative framework voted by Parliament, binding on the Government, with measurable indicators and multi-annual budgets. Exactly what we have been missing since 1990. Why do we need a 2025-2040 strategy approved by law? Because the forest does not live in electoral cycles. A tree grows in decades, and an industry is built in generations (...) A strategy voted in Parliament means: a stable course, independent of party alternation; a clear mandate for state institutions; and the chance to transform Romania into a sustainable - digital hub of Europe. A country does not live only from protection. It lives from balance. I have stated clearly: a protected forest does not mean an abandoned forest. It must be monitored, managed and regenerated. The solution is not fear "politics, but intelligent intervention: based on data, sensors, predictive models, drones and Artificial Intelligence. Romania already has the necessary digital infrastructure. SUMAL 2.0, with all its imperfections, is the most sophisticated traceability system in Europe. We have specialists, universities and companies," mentioned Ciprian Musca.
In the vision of the ASFOR president, Romania must become a European wood power - with industry, export, technology and communities that live better.
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