286
D. Peptenatu et al.
9.4 Results
9.4.1 The Evolution of Deforested Areas in Romania
Today, Romania has more than 6.5 million hectares of forests, which had continuously
decreased since 1800 when the forested area of the Romanian historical provinces
was 8,500,000 ha of forest, or 36% of the territory. The significant reduction was
due to the agrarian reform of 1864 and the law on the establishment of communal
sheds in 1920. Thus, more than one million hectares of forests have been removed
from the forest fund, many of them being deforested, for conversion into the pasture.
In 1948, after the adoption of the Constitution and the nationalization of forests, the
area of the forest fund was 6,486,000 ha.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, in 1990, on December 31st, the
area of the forest fund was 6,367,660 ha, of which the forest area—6.248.990 ha
and other lands—118,670 ha. The surface of the forest fund on 31.12.2010 was
6,515,173 ha, out of which 4,363,000 ha, in public property and 2,152,173 ha,
in private property. The public property of the state was 3.338.898 ha, of which
3.224,951 ha was covered with forests and 113,947 ha of other lands. The increase
is due to the introduction of degraded areas in this category.
After 2000, there has been increasing pressure on forest resources, because of
increased demand for export raw materials or processing capacities from Romania.
At the same time, illegal cuts of forest have taken a major role in contributing to
increasing the pressure on forest resources. Between 2000 and 2016, legal and illegal
exploitation, approach 400.000 ha.
The largest deforested areas are in the North Group and the Central Group of
the Oriental Carpathians (Figs. 9.3 and 9.4), where 64,812 and 100,613 ha were
deforested in the period 2000–2017. In Fig. 9.3, the trend of compaction of deforested
surfaces is observed, which leads to an amplification of the consequences, especially
with regard to leakage on the slopes.
The Central Group of the Oriental Carpathians is distinguished by the extent of
deforested forest areas, over 25% of the land deforested nationwide being concentrated here. After the year 2006, there is a spectacular growth of the restituted forests
that have been cut.
In the Southern Group of the Oriental Carpathians, deforested areas are very
fragmented at the beginning of the analyzed period (Fig. 9.5), but after 2007 there
is a tendency for concentration, which anticipates an amplification of medium and
long-term effects.
F˘ ag˘ aras , Mountains are distinguished throughout the analyzed period, by a compaction of the deforested areas, determined by the morphological characteristics of
this group, which makes accessibility to forest resources much lower (Fig. 9.6).
Under these conditions, the surfaces that allow easy access to the operating equipment is exploited.
Parâng Group is in the category of mountain units where the pressure on forest
resources is increasing after the year 2010 (Fig. 9.7). Even if in the period analyzed,
D. Peptenatu et al.
9.4 Results
9.4.1 The Evolution of Deforested Areas in Romania
Today, Romania has more than 6.5 million hectares of forests, which had continuously
decreased since 1800 when the forested area of the Romanian historical provinces
was 8,500,000 ha of forest, or 36% of the territory. The significant reduction was
due to the agrarian reform of 1864 and the law on the establishment of communal
sheds in 1920. Thus, more than one million hectares of forests have been removed
from the forest fund, many of them being deforested, for conversion into the pasture.
In 1948, after the adoption of the Constitution and the nationalization of forests, the
area of the forest fund was 6,486,000 ha.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, in 1990, on December 31st, the
area of the forest fund was 6,367,660 ha, of which the forest area—6.248.990 ha
and other lands—118,670 ha. The surface of the forest fund on 31.12.2010 was
6,515,173 ha, out of which 4,363,000 ha, in public property and 2,152,173 ha,
in private property. The public property of the state was 3.338.898 ha, of which
3.224,951 ha was covered with forests and 113,947 ha of other lands. The increase
is due to the introduction of degraded areas in this category.
After 2000, there has been increasing pressure on forest resources, because of
increased demand for export raw materials or processing capacities from Romania.
At the same time, illegal cuts of forest have taken a major role in contributing to
increasing the pressure on forest resources. Between 2000 and 2016, legal and illegal
exploitation, approach 400.000 ha.
The largest deforested areas are in the North Group and the Central Group of
the Oriental Carpathians (Figs. 9.3 and 9.4), where 64,812 and 100,613 ha were
deforested in the period 2000–2017. In Fig. 9.3, the trend of compaction of deforested
surfaces is observed, which leads to an amplification of the consequences, especially
with regard to leakage on the slopes.
The Central Group of the Oriental Carpathians is distinguished by the extent of
deforested forest areas, over 25% of the land deforested nationwide being concentrated here. After the year 2006, there is a spectacular growth of the restituted forests
that have been cut.
In the Southern Group of the Oriental Carpathians, deforested areas are very
fragmented at the beginning of the analyzed period (Fig. 9.5), but after 2007 there
is a tendency for concentration, which anticipates an amplification of medium and
long-term effects.
F˘ ag˘ aras , Mountains are distinguished throughout the analyzed period, by a compaction of the deforested areas, determined by the morphological characteristics of
this group, which makes accessibility to forest resources much lower (Fig. 9.6).
Under these conditions, the surfaces that allow easy access to the operating equipment is exploited.
Parâng Group is in the category of mountain units where the pressure on forest
resources is increasing after the year 2010 (Fig. 9.7). Even if in the period analyzed,