Produsele forestiere nelemnoase în Republica Moldova: caracteristici și dinamica resurselor [The situation of non-wood forest products sector in Republic of Moldova]

After the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Moldova, the national forestry fund is constantly growing. At the same time, the harvesting and collection of non-timber forest products (PFNL) was intensified by the forest enterprises under the Moldsilva Agency. Non-timber forest products collected are of plant (fruit, berries, herbs, decorative plants) and animal (fish, snails, honey, wild boar) origin. Over time, forestry sector was in a permanent institutional reforming. At present, Moldsilva agency is the administrative authority of the public administration, empowered to ensure the implementation of state policy and sustainable development in the fields of forestry and hunting. After 1990, the commercial potential of forest fruits and berries decreases, as many fruit plantations have degraded or have been transferred to other land use categories. Because of low wages and difficult manual labor, the number of employees in the forestry sector is steadily decreasing. The largest forested area is concentrated in the center of the country. In the period 2001-2009 the forested area significantly increased, especially in the south of the republic due to the implementation of some European projects. The most non-timber forest products collected are those of medicinal utilisation. Due to the dispersion of the forest fund in small forest tracts, the hunting potential is small. The number and species of animals hunted each year in the forest fund are established by Government Decision, these being the boar (Sus scrofa L.) and the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L.). The purpose of this research is to present the evolution and the development potential of the non-timber forestry sector in the Republic of Moldova in relation to the institutional changes in the central forest authority. The study has the following objectives: describing the institutional evolution of the central forest authority; analyzing the evolution of the number of employees in the forest branch; distribution and evolution of the national forests as the ground of non wood timber products harvesting; assessing the biological and commercial potential of the sector; analyzing the dynamics of PFNL collection by forest enterprises.