The Great Cutover: Fading Forests

Parts of the Romanian Carpathians are among the last primeval forests in Europe. But although the national park is officially protected, it is still being deforested.

The WWF estimates that 30 percent of all logging takes place illegally. The wood goes into pellet production and into Romanian chipboard factories for cheap furniture. The hunger for wood also left its mark in the densely wooded countries of Scandinavia. It seems that clear-cutting in Sweden is simply more economical than limited felling. We ask the question in Brussels: Why does the EU seem to be more committed to tropical forests than to its own primeval forest on its doorstep?

Pictures © WDR