The wooded areas will be extended by including degrading areas. Regulations to this effect were approved by the Cabinet on August 3. The document provides that trees will be planted on unproductive land, land with advanced erosion and affected by active landslides, sandy land and land polluted with chemical or oil products, IPN reports.

The lands that will be wooded must be at least 5 ha in area, while the areas adjoining the land stock must not be smaller than 0.25 ha.

The assortment of trees and bushes will be chosen depending on their capacity to resist on the planted soil and the benefits that they can bring for diminishing the level of land erosion. Priority will be given to the national species.

The tree planting works will be financed with money from the state budget, the budgets of the territorial-administrative units and with external funds.

Moldova’s forest stock is now 419,100 ha in area, which is 12.7 % of the country’s territory.