Sale of forests by owners is becoming a mass phenomenon due to lack of financial support for forestry sector

Lack of financial support for the forestry sector drives increasing numbers of forest owners to sell their properties, which is becoming a mass phenomenon, the president of the Nostra Silva Federation of Forest and pasture Owners in Romania, Bogdan Todoran, told AGERPRES on Monday, during the rally organized by the organization in front of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR).

"If financing is not being provided at present, in 5 years it will be very late, because I am assailed by messages from various forest owners in the country, who ask me if I know anyone to whom they could sell their property. (...) I believe that the Government needs to devise a national strategy to take action because this phenomenon of alienation of forest land, caused by bureaucracy, taxes, lack of benefits brought by this property, is presently becoming a mass phenomenon," said Bogdan Todoran.

The president of the Nostra Silva Federation pointed out that the 1 percent allocation for the forestry sector in the National Strategic Plan is ridiculous, because the money goes only to the agricultural sector and not to the forests, and "completely ignoring the forests is totally unbalanced, because climate change is also related to forests, and if this money is allocated as if for the environment and climate, it means that something is wrong," mentioned Bogdan Todoran.

He stressed that the owners of about a third of Romania's forests, included in Natura 2000 sites, need government financial support as these come with restrictions: they are not allowed to exploit as per the forest management provisions, the administration costs have almost doubled since last year, the revenues decrease or cannot be realized, because they cannot intervene in the forest, and so on. The solution is for forest owners to receive compensation, because otherwise, if the forest means only costs, and no benefit, the effects are seen in illegal logging, which everyone wants to eliminate.

The president of Nostra Silva Federation added that other states are compensating owners who have forests in Natura 2000 sites and called for forest owners to be considered eligible for measures to make the forest fund accessible.

Members of the Federation of Forest and Pasture Owners of Romania organized a rally on Monday in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, dissatisfied with the allocation of only 1 percent for the forestry sector from the budget of the National Strategic Plan 2023-2027. (AGERPRES)