REFERENCE PERSON:

Ovidiu Badea

WORKING TEAM:

Stefan Neagu, Diana Silaghi, Stefan Leca

The Forest Research and Management Institute (ICAS) (www.icas.ro), established in 1933 is the main national public institution, specialized in scientific research and planning in forestry and implementation of new technologies to provide for a sustainable management of the Romanian public or private forests. The Institute cooperates with the major international organizations like IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations), EFI (European Forest Institute), IPGRI (International Plant Genetic Resources Institute), and the European Union. At national level, ICAS is an excellency center in environment protection. Also, it is the main manager of scientific and technical information on forestry; it has a strong experimental basis, modern equipment and highly educated and specialized staff, certified at national and international levels.

The institute owns some 50.000 ha of forests around the country, which are managed by regional bases belonging to the Institute. The headquarter in Bucharest and 6 research stations around the country cover regional research and assistance needs for the forestry in Romania, both to private and state sector. Also it is a National Focal Centre of ICP-Forests since 1990 and participates with projects in different EU frames

The research activity is carried out in the fields of forest ecology, biometrics, management and forest economics, GIS, monitoring, forest genetics and tree amelioration, forest techniques, forest protection, mapping, wildlife conservation and management and mountain fisheries (cynegetics, trout breeding, mountain fisheries).

ICAS is involved in long-term ecological research and monitoring of forests in Romania and it is member of LTER Romania since 2003, by integrating the Bucegi-Piatra Craiului (selected for EnvEurope project), Retezat, Rodna-Calimani sites and other 12 ICP-Forests intensive monitoring plots into the LTER network.