WOOD ENERGY IN ROMANIA

Wood energy is widely used, providing more than 14% of the world's total primary energy and it is one of the renewable energies with important potential of expansion. Wood has been the dominant fuel and has a long tradition in Romanian rural areas based on its sustainable, environmentally friendly and renewable natural resource characteristics and represents a significant source of income,especially for the "new forest owners", in the forest restitution process context. The use of wood for energy in urban areas in Romania is linked with the domestic price of the fossil fuels. There is a also a contemporary fashion for open fires. Fires are no longer just means of warming a room. They are fully integrated architectural features which can be positioned anywhere in the house. People love their elemental look. It seems that elemental forces, come of age in our homes. The available wood for energy production in Romania is determined by :the available allowable cut (determined taking into account the rotation length, average species composition, forest structure according to the site indices and the existing distribution of age classes)the wood waste volume resulting from the wood processing industrythe quality of forest standsthe accessibility of the forest areas At present there are no subventions directed towards the use of wood for energy in Romania. Subventions for wood energy in non-accessible forest areas could introduce important volumes of small-size and low quality wood in the economic cycle. Different technical solutions related to the local conditions are envisaged for rural areas and in some cases for urban areas in Romania. The actual rate of wood annual harvest/allowable cut and the current contribution of the forestry sector in Romania to the GDP show us that wood as a forest resource is still an underused resource from the economical point of view, and the use of wood for energy is a viable solution in many cases. The fundamental objective of the present-day national forestry policy and strategy in Romania is the development of the forestry sector in order to increase the sector contribution to the improvement of the quality of life. In this context wood energy as a strategic option provides heat, power and light as well as important income and employment and has an important neutral effect as fuel in the climate change context. Not only forestry but also other sectors are interested in wood energy systems: energy, agriculture and rural development. In order to strengthen the national capacities for wood energy, new institutions with trained personnel are required. There are some major concerns for the wood energy sector at international level and FAO, UNECE, EC and interested NGOs established strong links and partnerships at international and regional level with all stakeholders, for promoting and implementing new projects, exchanging ideas and information. Keywords: wood energy, sustainable, renewable, environmentally friendly, technical solutions, neutral effect