Traceability of Romanian timber – SUMAL, APV and the EUDR
Robinia series · Authority: “buying traceable timber”
A hammer with the legal status of a notarial seal, numbered trees, an app open to everyone: the most closely monitored timber in Europe.
In Romania, a forest owner cannot do as he pleases in his own forest. Every tree felled legally — including robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia), also known as black locust and often sold as acacia — was provided for in a ten-year plan approved by the ministry, inventoried under a number, marked with the forest hammer — an instrument kept under lock and key, whose imprint is lodged with a notary — then tracked by GPS all the way to the sawmill.
And anyone, you included, can check a timber lorry from their phone. Here is how Europe’s strictest system works — and what your supplier must be able to provide when the European “deforestation-free” regulation (the EUDR) comes into application at the end of 2026.
30 December 2026
the date from which the EUDR applies to timber — for large, medium-sized and small companies in the sector
Why Romania built the strictest system in Europe
It is worth explaining where this rigour comes from. In 2019, Romania’s national forest inventory revealed a shocking figure: 38.6 million m³ of timber felled per year, around 20 million more than the officially declared volumes — the gap left by illegal logging. The same year, two forest rangers were killed after surprising timber thieves, and Romania — home to the largest virgin and old-growth forests in the European Union, some 525,000 hectares recorded in the Carpathians — saw Brussels open infringement proceedings against it in February 2020.
The response came in two stages: tighter controls on the ground, and the launch, on 31 January 2021, of SUMAL 2.0 — digital tracking of every cubic metre, from marking to lorry, open to scrutiny by the public. It is within this framework that our robinia is harvested.
Step 0: the ten-year plan, the law of the forest
Before there is any talk of felling, everything starts with the amenajament silvic — the forest management plan. Drawn up by a forestry consultancy approved by the State and approved by order of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, it governs each forest for ten years: a plot-by-plot description, the maximum volume that may be harvested each year (the “allowable cut”), the permitted treatments, and even the age at which each species may be harvested — 25 years for robinia, more than 100 years for oak. It is a document of several hundred pages, which the forest district (ocol silvic) must follow scrupulously: the law forbids harvesting beyond the allowable cut, or in just any plot.
One detail concerns us directly: these long-standing silvicultural norms underestimate the natural growth of Romanian forests — and in practice the forest code prohibits thinning robinia plots. The result: overstocked stands left to grow untouched for 25 to 30 years, tightly packed trees that grow slowly… and the hard, close-ringed timber on which Romanian robinia’s reputation rests. The regulatory constraint has become our quality argument.
The APV: every tree has a number
On the authorised plot, the forest district inventories every tree earmarked for felling: a number, the species, the diameter, the height and the quality class — all recorded in the inventory book. From this data comes the APV (Act de Punere în Valoare), generated and authorised in SUMAL: exact volume, plot, deadlines. Nothing is felled outside it.
This numbering is not red tape: it is what makes checks possible. The forest police (Garda Forestieră) carry out spot checks on the ground to verify that the APV matches reality. And the timber buyer can do the same: find tree no. 580 — the one in our photo below — and check that it really has the stated diameter and height. If the ground does not match, the APV can be “broken” — cancelled — and forestry staff then have 30 days to go back into the forest, chisel the marks off the stumps and cover them with black paint, with an official report to back it up.
The forest hammer: the legal status of a seal
The selected tree receives the imprint of the ciocan silvic, the forest hammer, applied in paint at ground level. This tool is no ordinary stamp: the Romanian forest code gives it the legal regime of marks and seals. Each hammer is unique, and its imprint is lodged with a notary within ten days; it is kept in a metal cabinet with individual lockers, recorded in a register, and only leaves it against a delegation slip — with an activity report on its return. Since 2021 the devices have also been registered in SUMAL, and some recent models open with a PIN code or a biometric fingerprint.
The shape of the imprint tells the tree’s story: round, it is destined for legal harvesting; square, it marks the boundary of the felling site; pentagonal, it flags the stump of an illegally felled tree, recorded by inspectors; triangular, it is the inspectors’ hammer; rectangular, the one for timber in transit.
The stump, proof that cannot be forged. Because the mark is applied at ground level, the stump keeps it after felling: a marked stump attests to authorised felling, a blank stump is proof of felling “fără drept” (without right) — an offence punishable by 6 months to 3 years in prison, up to 5 years depending on the damage, and more still if the offender is a forester.
Felling: 3-hectare clear-cuts, never more — and never while the sap is up
Romanian robinia is harvested by clear-cuts of no more than 3 hectares in a single block — the limit set by the Romanian Forest Code (Legea 46/2008, art. 29) — and an adjoining coupe cannot be opened until the previous one has closed over again as a young stand. In a forest of several hundred hectares, harvesting therefore advances through small windows, never across whole swathes. And there is nothing to replant: robinia regrows on its own, by root suckering — the roots left in the ground produce a complete new stand.
These fellings take place exclusively during the dormant season, when the sap is down: Romanian regulations (OM 1540/2011) only open coppice harvesting from 15 September to 31 March — and at Acacia Bois, felling even stops on 15 March. This is not a calendar detail; it is a double safeguard:
For the forest. in winter, the tree’s reserves (starch) have gone back down into the roots. Felling at that point leaves all that energy in the ground: in spring it bursts out as vigorous root suckers and the plot closes over again within two or three seasons. Felling in full growth, by contrast, wastes those reserves and weakens regrowth — and machinery does more damage to soft, living soils.
For your timber. timber felled when the sap is down contains less water and less starch — precisely what insects and blue-stain fungi thrive on. It dries more evenly, splits less and keeps better. The stake you drive in owes part of its longevity to the date on which the tree was felled.
SUMAL 2.0: from forest to lorry, in full public view
Compulsory since 31 January 2021, SUMAL 2.0 tracks every transport: driver, registration plate, species, volume, three photos of the loaded lorry, and a GPS route uploaded to the national database. And the transparency extends to the public: with the public app Inspectorul Pădurii, anyone can type in the registration of a log lorry passed on the road and find out within seconds whether the load is legal. In Romania, anyone can play forest ranger.
The EUDR: why it is your concern too
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR, EU 2023/1115) replaces the former EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). It requires anyone placing timber on the European market to submit a due diligence statement geolocated down to the plot, with proof of “deforestation-free” status. Application: 30 December 2026 for timber — including micro and small enterprises, because timber was already covered by the EUTR. Good news further down the chain: a buyer no longer has to file their own statement; they keep and pass on the reference number of their supplier’s statement.
In practice: in a few months’ time, a merchant or landscaper buying stakes will have to be able to produce that number. “Is your timber traceable?” stops being a sales argument — it becomes an obligation.
What your supplier must be able to provide
The FSC® certificate. A certificate number that can be checked in two clicks on info.fsc.org — ours: FSC® C153588, chain of custody SGSCH-COC-011793.
The EUDR reference. From 30 December 2026, the reference number of the due diligence statement, backed by the geolocation of the harvesting plots.
Proof of the national system. For Romanian timber: the existence of an APV and the SUMAL declaration for the transport — the legal foundation, verifiable by the State and by you.
Consistent documents. Invoices that state the species (Robinia pseudoacacia), the volumes and the FSC claim. A supplier who hesitates on any of these points should set alarm bells ringing.
At Acacia Bois: already compliant
Our robinia is harvested within the framework described above — amenajament, APV, hammer, SUMAL — under FSC® and ISO 9001 certification, with geolocation of the plots. Our customers already have everything the EUDR will require at the end of 2026. And the same forest code that forbids us to thin our plots is what gives our timber its hardness: here, traceability and quality share the same origin.
Key points
· Everything starts with the ten-year plan (amenajament silvic): an approved consultancy, ministerial approval, harvest volumes and ages fixed for 10 years — 25 years for robinia.
· Felling: 3 ha clear-cut maximum, only during the dormant season (15 September – 15 March, sap down) — better regrowth by root suckering, better timber.
· Every tree has a number (number, species, diameter, height, quality); the Garda Forestieră carry out spot checks, and a non-compliant APV is cancelled.
· The forest hammer has the legal regime of a seal: imprint lodged with a notary, locker cabinet, released only on delegation.
· SUMAL 2.0 (since 31 January 2021): photos and GPS for every lorry — verifiable by anyone via Inspectorul Pădurii.
· EUDR: 30 December 2026 for timber, small businesses included — insist on a verifiable FSC certificate, a due diligence statement (DDS) reference and proof of the national system.
Frequently asked questions
What is the amenajament silvic (ten-year plan)?
The forest management plan that governs each Romanian forest for ten years: drawn up by an approved forestry consultancy and approved by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, it sets, plot by plot, the maximum annual volumes, the permitted treatments and the harvesting ages. The law forbids harvesting beyond the allowable cut it sets.
What is an APV?
The Act de Punere în Valoare is the harvesting permit drawn up before any felling: each tree is inventoried under a number with its species, diameter, height and quality, then the APV is generated and authorised in SUMAL — exact volume, plot, deadlines. An APV that does not match the ground can be cancelled, and the marks on the stumps must then be erased within 30 days.
What is the EUDR and when does it apply?
The EUDR (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115) is the European “deforestation-free” regulation that replaces the former EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). It requires a due diligence statement with geolocation of the plots. For timber, it applies from 30 December 2026 — including to micro and small enterprises.
What is SUMAL 2.0?
Romania’s national timber traceability system, compulsory since 31 January 2021. The APV is generated in it, and every transport is declared in it before departure: driver, registration plate, species, volume, three photos of the loaded lorry and a GPS route uploaded to the national database.
How can you check that a Romanian timber transport is legal?
With the public app Inspectorul Pădurii, which queries the SUMAL database: a transport can be checked by registration plate, notice code or APV number. Transparency is not reserved for inspectors — it is open to everyone.
Which documents should you ask your timber supplier for?
An FSC certificate number that can be checked on info.fsc.org, the reference of its EUDR due diligence statement (from the end of 2026), proof of the national traceability system (APV and SUMAL for Romania) and invoices stating species and volumes. A serious supplier provides them without being asked.
Further reading
Reference guide: “Robinia outdoors – the complete guide”.
See also: “Where our robinia comes from” (dense forests, slow growth) · “FSC and ISO 9001 – Acacia Bois certifications”.
Our products: Round stakes · Sanded posts · Cleft palings · Finger-jointed decking board · Finger-jointed cladding board.
Contact: Need traceability documents for a tender? Write to us: certificates and references are supplied with every quote.
Disclaimer. Non-contractual article, provided for information only (photos and drawings included). Robinia is a natural material: the values given are orders of magnitude and may change without notice; in case of discrepancy, only the product’s technical data sheet and the general terms of sale apply. Always check the regulations that apply to your project.
© Xylo Impact SRL — all rights reserved, products marketed under the Acacia Poles brand. Any reproduction, even partial, is prohibited without prior authorisation.
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