Forest monitoring sistem in Romania, dynamics of romanian forest health status over the period 1990-2002

During the 1980s, dieback intensified in the European forests. This fact convinced Romania and most of the European countries to develop the evaluation and surveying process covering the main factors having an impact on forests. In Romania, research dealing with the elaboration of a technicalorganisational concept was developed between 1983 and 1985. This concept dealt with the surveying system used to control the quality of environmental factors in the forestry estate (Patrascoiu et al. 1985). The system had been experimented in the following period (1986-1989). In 1990, it was applied to the entire national forestry estate (Patrascoiu and Badea. 1990). Today, the organization and functioning of the national forest monitoring system is ensured by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests, Waters and Environmental, ROMSILVA and Forest Research and Management Institute (ICAS, as National Focal Centre). This system is functioning in accordance with Low no.444/2002 on â__Elaboration and Financing of National Monitoring System soil-land for agriculture and soil-forest vegetation for forestryâ__. The forest condition survey in Romania is done according to Resolution no.1 and 6 of the Strasbourg Ministerial Conference (1990), Agenda no.21 from Rio de Janeiro (1992) and Resolution no.3 of the Helsinki Ministerial Conference (1993). At international level, Romania takes part in the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP-Forests). The main objectives of the forest survey in Romania are achieved with the support of investigations at two levels: Level I - a large scale forest condition survey, based on permanent plots (4x4 km) and European (16x16 km) networks, with lower assessment intensity. Level II - studies and research of intensive nature in a non-systematic survey network placed in forest ecosystems suitable for cause-effect relationship studies and located where critical threshold values of pollution are likely to be present. Results on Romanian forest health status over the period 2000-2002 show that for all species the share of damaged trees (classes 2-4) registered values between 9.7% in 1991 and 21.2% in 1994. For conifers the share of damaged trees was between 7.0% (1991) and 16.6% (in 1993) and for broadleaves between 10.4% (in 1991) and 22.9% (in 1994). At species level, Norway spruce (Picea abies) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) were the least affected, with shares of damaged trees between 6.4%