Environment minister Costel Alexe has announced in a press conference on Wednesday that he had found the largest operation of illegal logging in Maramures, at the Sighet forest guard, where 100,000 cubic metres of trees “have been razed to the ground”.
“There used to be 340 hectares of trees deep down in the forest in Maramures, at the Sighet forest guard. There were 100,000 cubic metres of woods razed to the ground”, said the minister, who added that repeated illegal logging has been done in the past 8 years without anyone noticing or saying something.
“Authorities have not been notified ex-officia either. There was a join co-working. The file has been sent to the Prosecutor’s Office last week”, Costel Alexe said.
“I have a public message to all Romanian citizens, to the state authorities and I hope they will work with the Environment Ministry, that I, as a minister would like to see hand-cuffed all those who are cutting trees illegally or who are stealing from the woods. We cannot afford this practice anymore, as a country, it leads to the third world, where there is illegal logging for personal or group interests”, said the minister.