Moldova tree survival rate drops to 39% at Mălăiești site
The afforestation campaign in Mălăiești, Orhei district, failed, after only 39.6% of the more than 200,000 seedlings planted last autumn took root.
The findings are from a working group set up by the Ministry of Environment, after Moldova 1 reported on the situation in Mălăiești this August. Specialists are proposing further planting to achieve the necessary density for the future forest.
The commission, made up of specialists from the Ministry of Environment, the Moldsilva Agency, the Environmental Protection Inspectorate, the Forest Research and Management Institute, the Orhei Forestry Enterprise, and local mayor's office representatives, surveyed the entire 41.75-hectare area planted in the autumn of 2024 in Mălăiești, Orhei.
"The commission established that the average survival rate was 39.6%." In Mălăiești, the forest cultures were mainly affected by the current spring frosts, as well as by extreme heat and insufficient rainfall throughout the year. To remedy the situation, the commission insists on infilling the forest cultures, in accordance with the specialised requirements, to achieve the necessary density until reaching a closed canopy," Moldsilva Agency officials say.
Foresters concluded that although climate change imposes severe conditions on the forestry sector, only by continuing and expanding afforestation projects can the negative effects be diminished and the healthy development of forests supported.
Nationally, the Afforestation Campaign registers a tree survival rate of nearly 70%. According to environmental expert Ruslan Nercaș, the rate is "good," with interventions and replanting only needed in specific, more problematic sectors.
It is worth noting that the National Program for the Expansion and Rehabilitation of Forests, dubbed "The Forest Generation" and initiated in 2023 by President Maia Sandu, aims to afforest over 145,000 hectares of land by 2032. In two years since the program's launch, over 15,000 hectares of forest have been planted.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
