THE EVALUATION OF FOREST LOSS IN ROMANIA’S MOST THREATENED COUNTIES. A MULTI-CRITERIA AND GIS BASED APPROACH.

Local or regional forest loss may be considered a forest management problem that mainly affects countries that lack proper forest monitoring and law enforcement procedures. Romania is an appropriate example regarding this matter, the main issue being the massive illegal cuts that are difficult to monitor, record and sanction. Therefore, the desiderata of precluding this outlawed practice and of preserving the forest cover – which accounts for almost 29% of Romania’s territory (2015), are not attainable without revealing the areas where interventions are imperative. This paper aims to evaluate the overall dimensions of forest loss in Romania’s top twelve counties in terms of forest loss area by applying two multi-criteria decisionmaking methods. The relative importance (weights) of forest loss (area), regeneration works (area), private forests (percentage) and illegal cuts (cases) related factors is established via Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Complementarily, Weighted Product Model (WPM) is used to compute the total score of the alternatives represented by Vâlcea, Gorj, Maramureș, Suceava, Prahova, Giurgiu, Vrancea, Argeș, Alba, Ilfov, Constanța and Ialomița counties, in relation to the considered factors. A clear image of the multi-criteria determined forest loss level is provided by the final maps obtained in GIS. This combination of multi-criteria decision-making methods and GIS techniques may serve as a functional and adjustable framework for further research. The practical value of this study is enhanced by using an updated data base that relates to 1990-2018 time period. Moreover, the results may serve as warning signs for the designated administrative units. Such knowledge is actually a prerequisite for the implementation of the effective forest loss mitigation plans that should be at the core of sustainable forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]