The results of Cycle III of Romania’s National Forest Inventory (NFI) indicate a positive trend in the state of the country’s forests. According to WWF-Romania, forest area has increased, timber stocks are higher, and the estimated volume of “missing timber” has decreased significantly compared with the previous cycle.
NFI data show that forest area increased from approximately 7 million hectares in Cycle I to 7.2 million hectares in the 2020–2025 period. At the same time, the average timber volume per hectare reached 347.5 m³, while the volume of “missing timber” fell from around 20 million m³ per year in Cycle II to a maximum of 8 million m³ per year in Cycle III.
WWF warns, however, that this figure should not automatically be equated with the volume of illegal logging. The National Forest Inventory is not designed to directly measure this phenomenon, and the differences may also include statistical errors or results arising from different methodologies.
Why are these results important for timber control?
The significant reduction in the volume of “missing timber” suggests that measures introduced in recent years — including the digitalisation of timber traceability, the development of SUMAL, the Forest Inspector application, increased control capacity and stricter sanctions — have contributed to reducing illegal harvesting and undeclared timber.
At the same time, WWF points out that methods used to introduce illegal timber into the economic circuit have become more difficult to detect. One of the vulnerabilities identified is the overloading of timber transports, through the declaration of smaller quantities than those actually transported.
To strengthen control, WWF supports the continued reform of the timber traceability system, including verification of timber volumes when they are first placed on the market, the development of SUMAL 3.0, the use of risk-based control procedures and increased data transparency.
The organisation also calls for the full publication and clear explanation of the National Forest Inventory results, so that the data can transparently support future forest policies and the secondary legislation associated with the new Forestry Code.
Source: WWF-Romania
Published by WWF-Romania: 3 December 2025