Romania has completed an integrated digital system for monitoring forests and combating illegal logging, the Environment Ministry announced. The RON 272.6 million project, financed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), combines satellite imagery, AI-assisted video monitoring, and LiDAR scanning.

The Environment Ministry developed the system in partnership with the Special Telecommunications Service (STS). All its components have been completed and accepted, it said.

The platform provides forestry personnel with digital tools to monitor and inspect forests and timber shipments. It is connected to Romania’s SUMAL timber-tracking system, allowing authorities to identify risks, generate alerts, and better target field inspections.

“Through the PNRR, we have created tools that allow us to see more quickly what is happening on the ground, identify suspicious changes, verify timber shipments, and obtain much more precise data about the state of forests,” interim environment minister Diana Buzoianu said.

“Technology does not replace field inspections, but it makes them much more efficient,” she added.

One component uses Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from the EU’s Copernicus program to monitor changes to forest canopies across approximately 70,000 square kilometers. The system compares images and generates alerts when it detects changes that cannot be explained by authorized logging or natural disasters.

Machine-learning algorithms help locate and assess vegetation loss, while a mobile application allows forestry personnel to investigate alerts in the field, the ministry explained.

A second component monitors timber shipments at 350 locations selected in areas with significant timber traffic. It comprises 700 license-plate recognition cameras, 350 cameras for advanced analysis, and 11 control centers.

The video system compares information captured by the cameras with data registered in SUMAL. It can identify undeclared shipments, deviations from approved routes, multiple transports using the same permit, and discrepancies between cargoes and accompanying documents.

The third component uses aerial and terrestrial LiDAR technology to create a digital model of Romania’s forests. It includes an airborne hybrid sensor, 30 mobile sensors, and high-performance computing infrastructure for processing and storing the data.

The resulting model can provide detailed information about selected forest areas, including timber volumes, tree heights, tree numbers, and affected surfaces, according to the Environment Ministry.

Of the project’s total value, RON 262.2 million represents investment expenditure, while RON 10.4 million covers goods and services. The project fulfills milestone 167 under Romania’s PNRR.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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