The secular forests in Romania will be taken out of the economic circuit and will be placed under protection at national level, according to environment minister Costel Alexe.

“We made a national decision: the secular forests in Romania leave the economic circuit and come under protection. The secular forests we have will be protected and preserved for future generations,” Alexe said on Friday, May 22, during a visit to the secular forest in the Poieni area - Schitul Duca in Iasi county.

The minister added that a total of 8,364 secular forests would be placed under protection by September 15. This means that only conservation interventions will be allowed in these forests.

“In total, we are talking about 100,000 hectares, of which 38,000 hectares are included in areas where today wood is produced for timber, constructions, cellulose. The remaining 60,000+ hectares are only partially protected,” Costel Alexe said.

Secular forests are mainly found in the counties of Caras-Severin (19.4%), Neamt (17.1%), Arges (8.6%), Bacau (8.4%), Gorj (7.7%), Valcea (5.9%), and Hunedoara (4.9%). The oldest secular forests are found in Dambovița county, where the average age is over 270 years, in Caras-Severin, where the average is over 235 years, or in Arad, with an average of over 230 years, the Environment Ministry said in a press release.

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(Photo source: Mmediu.ro)