VIDEO // Single institution to manage Moldova’s forests

Environment Minister Gheorghe Hajder today announced the launch of a major structural reform of Moldsilva agency, an initiative meant to radically transform the management of Moldova’s forest fund. The main measure targets the merger of the 19 existing forestry enterprises into a single state entity called Moldova's Forests, aimed at modernizing administration, combating corruption and effectively protecting the country’s forested areas.

The Need for Deep Reform

According to Hajder, the Republic of Moldova has a forest cover of only 11.6%, a percentage considered insufficient to counteract the increasingly acute effects of climate change and drought. Despite intensive afforestation campaigns, the management system has remained outdated and fragmented. The 19 forestry enterprises operate independently, each with separate budgets, administrations, and management. Data presented by the minister reveal an alarming situation: more than half of these entities are recording financial losses and are forced to cut trees in order to cover operating expenses and employee salaries.

Moldova's Forests: A unified model for efficiency and transparency

To remedy this dysfunction, the reform proposes the creation of a strong state enterprise with a single national budget and five territorial branches without legal personality. This streamlining of the administrative apparatus, by reducing the number of directors, economists, and accountants, will generate estimated annual savings of about 70 million lei. These funds will be strategically redirected toward protecting vulnerable forest areas and modernizing technical equipment, which is essential for modern and sustainable forest management.

Minister Gheorghe Hajder emphasized the vision behind this reform.

“We must move to performance-based management, where salaries are paid from the profit generated by efficiency, not by consuming timber resources. We want these people to be proud of their profession, to be paid according to how well they care for the forest, not to be forced to cut trees at the end of the month in order to receive their pay,” he said.

The official assured that field workers’ salaries will be increased by 30% and will even double for certain categories, acknowledging that current salaries, ranging between 6,000 and 9,000 lei, are “unacceptable”.

Protecting Employees and Combating Corruption

An important aspect of the reform is the commitment that no forest ranger or forestry engineer will be dismissed. The reform is focused exclusively on making management more efficient and improving working conditions and pay for field staff, who are the backbone of the forestry system.

Full transparency is another central pillar of the new strategy. The reform introduces a single national price for timber and provides for the construction of 30 authorized depots across the country. This will allow the population to purchase wood at a clear and transparent rate, with strict traceability for every cubic meter, eliminating intermediaries and illegal direct sales from the forest. In addition, strict anti-corruption mechanisms will be implemented by separating responsibilities: forest protection, forestry works, and timber sales will be managed by different people and structures, thus reducing the risk of abuses.

According to the Environment Minister, the reorganization process will begin immediately, followed by a stage of extensive consultations with the forestry sector, environmental organizations, and state institutions, before final approval by the Government.