Statistics: Romania's forest area expanded by 2,271 hectares in 2024, regeneration declined by 4%

Romania's forest area grew by 2,271 hectares in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to new data released Friday, May 30, by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Despite this expansion, the total surface area of regenerated forests fell by 4%, Agerpres reported.

The national forest fund increased by 1,263 hectares by the end of December 2024, driven primarily by the reclassification of previously wooded pastures and the inclusion of degraded or non-forested lands designated for afforestation under a law that amended the national Forestry Code, INS said.

Forests now make up 97.7% of the national forest fund.

According to the same report, timber harvesting saw a modest decline of 2.8% in 2024 compared to 2023.

The largest volume of harvested timber came from Romania's North-East development region, accounting for 28.4% of the total. It was followed by the Center region (25.3%), and to a lesser extent, by the West (11.9%), North-West (11.6%), South Muntenia (9.1%), South-West Oltenia (7%), South-East (6.4%), and Bucharest-Ilfov (0.3%).

Forest regeneration efforts were most intensive in the North-East region, which accounted for 20.6% of the total regenerated area. The Center region followed with 19%, and the South-East with 13.7%. Other contributions came from the North-West (13.6%), South-West Oltenia (11.7%), West (11.6%), South Muntenia (9.2%), and Bucharest-Ilfov (0.6%).

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