UNECE seminar on Strategies for the sound use of wood Romanian and Bulgarian timber trade opportunity for the region Presentation by George Dinicu March 2003, Poiana Brasov

 Romania’s and Bulgaria’s forests – some of the most biologically important temperate forests in the world  Carpathian forests belong to one of 200 most important ecoregions defined by WWF in the world  Forest area covers 10,4 mil. Ha in both countries  Annual allowable cut volume over 22 mil.cm in both countries Introduction

Producer Group in the region  Promote responsible timber trade  Protection of High Conservation Value Forests  Support to forest managers and primary wood processors

Characteristics of timber market  Forest sector is, at present, dominated by state  Restitution of forests to new private ownership in progress  in 2001 the value of Romania’s export of forest products (excluding furniture) to countries in the European Union reached 210 million USD, and total value of exports was 474 mil USD

Characteristics of timber market

Romanian/Bulgarian Producer Group – part of WWF’s Global Forest and Trade Network  Information and training on how to reach certification through a modular approach  Links to markets for certified forest products  Training and capacity building on RFM

High Conservation Value Forests  Significant concentrations of biodiversity values (endemism, endangered species,)  Significant large landscape level forests where viable populations of most if not all naturally occurring species exist in natural patterns of distribution and abundance.  Forest areas that are in or contain rare, threatened or endangered ecosystems

High Conservation Value Forests  Forest areas that provide basic services of nature in critical situations (watershed protection, erosion control)  Forest areas fundamental to meeting basic needs of local communities  Forest areas critical to local communities’ traditional cultural identity.

Conclusions  Promote responsible timber trade through a Producer Group in the region  Protection of those forests with outstanding or critical biological, environmental or social values defined as High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF).