Inside Story / Reveals the massive amount of wood that is cut each year for heating

“The biggest pest of the forest is the use of the forest for housewood. On average, Albania uses 2-2.5 million m3 to be heated, while the growth of our forests is 1 million less m3 per year. This shows the negative balance that we cause in the forests “said Genti Kromidha, Institute for Nature Conservation

In this situation experts suggest that intervention should be made to stop cutting down trees for firewood and find alternative solutions.

“Creating agroforestry systems that means planting fast-growing plants that means reducing pressure on this very source,” said Elvin Toromoni, Faculty of Forestry, Agricultural University

In 2018, former Minister of Environment Blendi Klosi launched the initiative to plant 20 million of 200 thousand trees by 2020. While in a public appearance in December 2018 he stated that during the previous year about 4.5 million new saplings were planted. There is no exact evidence of how much they are actually planted but those who know the problem well are quite skeptical of those who trumpet.

“Afforestation is minimal, ridiculous and tragicomic. Former Minister Klosi promised to plant 20 million forest saplings, but in fact he did not plant even 20 thousand some ridiculous initiatives that have remained on paper and nothing has been done “said Mehmet Meta, environmental expert.

“I suggest to look at the INSTAT data, how much was the forest area before these campaigns, if you will see it, it seems that there is no change. “We have as many forests as we had,” said the environmental expert, Abdulla Diku.