Diana Buzoianu wants criminal penalties for illegal tree cutting in cities

The Minister of the Environment, Diana Buzoianu, announces a legislative package through which illegal tree cutting in parks and urban green spaces will be classified as crimes, not just misdemeanors. The decision comes after new illegal deforestation in Sector 3, where the same workers were caught cutting trees on private land, despite already imposed fines. The Environmental Directorate had mapped the trees precisely to prevent the return of the teams, later confirming the disappearance of another four trees.

Currently, fines for illegal cutting range between 3,000 and 5,000 lei, plus the obligation to replant, but the penalties do not deter the offenders. Buzoianu supports the need for a stricter regime and two levels of responsibility: strict enforcement of penalties by local authorities and modification of the law by the ministry. The local police continue to check the legality of the intervention and the identity of those involved.