In 2016, the forest area maintained almost the same level as that of the previous year
The total area of Romania's forests maintained in 2016, approximately at the same level compared to the previous year, recording an increase of 0.1 percent, while the volume of timber harvested diminished by 5.2 percent, the data of the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reveal.
Therefore, last year, the national forest fund stood at 6,558,957 ha, on 31 December 2016, out of which 6,404,329 ha represented the forest area. The 0.1 percent growth recorded is mainly due to some restorations of forested pastures and the introduction in the forest fund of some degraded lands and non-forested lands, established to be afforested under the law's provisions (Law No.133/2015 for the amendments and additions of the Law No.46/2008 - Forest Code).
The area of forests represents 97.6 percent of the national forest fund, and the area that was regenerated dropped by 1 percent, the INS data reveal.
According to the quoted source, the distribution of the forest fund on development regions indicates a concentration in a significant share in the Center development regions (19.3 percent from the overall forest fund) and North-East (18.2 percent), followed by the Vest (16.1 percent), North-West (15.2 percent), South-West-Oltenia (12.4 percent), South-Muntenia (10 percent), South-East (8.4 percent) development regions and Bucharest-Ilfov with an insignificant share of 0.4 percent.
On the other hand, the largest volume of timber was harvested in the North-East development region (27.3 percent of the total volume of harvested timber), followed by the Center development region (23.2 percent) and in a small proportion the North-West (12.1 percent), West (12.1 percent), South-Muntenia (9.9 percent), South-West-Oltenia (7.8 percent), South-East (7.2 percent) and Bucharest-Ilfov (0.4 percent) development regions.
Furthermore, the largest areas on which in 2016 forest regeneration works have been carried out are the following development regions: North-West (23.1 percent of the total), Center (18.1 percent) respectively, South-East (13.9 percent) West (11.8 percent), South-Muntenia (10.3 percent), South-West-Oltenia (9.2 percent) and Bucharest-Ilfov (0.3 percent).