Romania now considers illegal logging activity that clears one or more hectares of forest a threat to national security, according to Fordaq.
The designation is the result of the country's newly enacted Forest Law, which came in the wake of a thousands-strong street protest last May over the extent of illegal logging in Romania.
More than three hectares of forest are logged each hour.
More than three hectares of forest are logged each hour, the article said, and 80 million cubic meters of wood have been cleared from Romanian forests in the past 20 years.
Romania has the largest area of virgin forests in the European Union while also holding the title for the country most affected by illegal logging on the continent, the article said.
The law creates stiffer penalties for illegal logging culprits and it will be enforced by the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Defense, alongside the Ministry of Environment.
