The Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (MMAP) has finalized and submitted for approval the draft normative act regarding the approval of the Procedure for the acquisition, through purchase, exchange or donation, by the Romanian state, through the National Forest Administration – Romsilva and through the other administrators of the National Forest Fund (NFF) public property, as well as the procedure for the evaluation of forest lands belonging to public property and of the associated forest vegetation.

The document also establishes the procedural framework for the evaluation of forest lands that are subject to transfer from the public property of the state to its private property, for the purpose of reconstituting property rights.

The draft represents one of the secondary legislative acts deriving from the new Forestry Code, long awaited by both local public authorities and stakeholders in the forestry sector. The modernization of the forestry sector requires the development of a coherent legislative framework, complemented by secondary legislation that simplifies administrative procedures and reduces bureaucracy.

In this context, the draft normative act clarifies the responsibilities of the National Forest Administration – Romsilva, of private forest districts, and of the forest guards, contributing to the streamlining of administrative processes and the elimination of overlapping competencies. Thus, institutional resources can be directed more efficiently toward operational field activities.

Through this project, a single methodology for the evaluation of forest lands is introduced, applicable in several situations, including: the purchase of land by the state or by administrative-territorial units, land exchanges, donations, the transfer of land from the public property of the state to its private property for the purpose of restoring property rights, as well as the updating of accounting records.

Moreover, for the first time, the evaluation procedure and the methodology for calculating the value of forest land and its associated forest vegetation will also apply to forest lands belonging to public property, as well as to those subject to transfer from the public property of the state to its private property, for the purpose of restoring property rights.

The following categories of land may be subject to purchase:

• land within the National Forest Fund owned privately;
• enclaves located within the National Forest Fund owned by the state;
• land with agricultural use that is not adjacent to the National Forest Fund;
• land with agricultural use adjacent to the National Forest Fund owned by the state.

The implementation of this procedure will contribute to the strengthening of the institutional framework of the forestry sector, to a more efficient administration of the National Forest Fund, and to increased transparency in the processes of evaluation and acquisition of forest lands.

Communication and Digitalization Directorate Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests