Decrease in Wood Harvesting Volume in 2023
The total volume of wood harvested in 2023 has seen a decline of 1.068 million cubic meters compared to the previous year, reaching 19.17 million cubic meters (gross volume).
Breakdown by Tree Species
In terms of tree species, coniferous trees accounted for 37.5% of the total wood volume harvested, while beech represented 32.3%. Various hardwood species, including acacia, maple, ash, and walnut, comprised 11.9%. Oak made up 10.6%, and different softwood species such as lime, willow, and poplar contributed 7.7%. These statistics have been compiled by the National Institute of Statistics.
Distribution of Harvested Wood
In 2023, an impressive 95.4% of the harvested wood was allocated to certified legal entities engaged in forestry activities, while 4.6% was designated for individuals authorized to harvest wood from their privately owned forests.
Legal Framework for Wood Exploitation
According to Law no. 46/2008 – the Forestry Code, as amended and supplemented, wood harvesting is conducted by legal entities accredited by the central public authority responsible for forestry matters. However, there are exceptions where both legal and natural persons can harvest up to 20 cubic meters per year from their privately owned forests without certification.
Public vs. Private Forest Harvesting
Last year, a total of 12.157 million cubic meters of wood were harvested from public forests, which represented 63.4% of the entire volume of wood harvested. The remaining percentage was sourced from private forests (30.8%) and from forest vegetation located on land outside of the designated forest fund (5.8%).
