Forest Inspector: real-time public supply chain transparency
The Forest Inspector is a public geoportal, or map-based interface, that combines real-time transparency of timber transports with the location and details of forest management plans and harvest authorizations. Map layers show the geographical boundaries of all state-owned forests, along with many private ones.
The Forest Inspector also shows company ownership info for timber transports and harvest permits, providing for increased accountability, along with improved traceability for buyers.
Romanian law stipulates that the following information from SUMAL should be made transparent (Monitorul Oficial, Partea I nr. 570 din 30 iunie 2020, Art 5 (8)):
- Transport permit information: permit ID, date and time of registration, sender, type of transport, harvest permit of origin, point of loading, volume, species, type of wood, transporter name, license plate number of the vehicle;
- the route traveled during the transport, publicly available after completion of the transport;
- photographs of the loaded vehicle from the front, rear and side;
- Forest harvest permit information;
- Harvest authorization, including the name of the authorized logging company;
- The coordinates of all points representing changes in the canopy / images as a result of the remote sensing process using satellite imagery;
- The information is public during its existence in SUMAL 2.0.
Unfortunately, the Romanian government does not make all of this data public, despite it being required by law. Whereas the law says all data should be available for an unlimited time, the data is currently only public for 72 hours. Forest parcel boundary maps should be available for all managed forests, but the Forest Inspector currently only includes state owned forests and some private ones, while the majority of private forest parcels are not publicly available. Remote sensing canopy changes are not available at all. Not all forest management plans are public, and not all transports include GPS coordinates of their full tracks.
Romania’s public Forest Inspector geoportal shows the full GPS tracks of log truck journeys as recorded by a mobile app on the driver’s phone. (Source: Forest Inspector)
How Forest Inspector data is being used
The launch of the Forest Inspector mobile app in 2016 marked a turning point for public oversight of timber transport in Romania. By allowing any citizen to check a truck’s license plate in real-time to determine if its transport is legal, the app significantly increased transparency. Within three months of its release, public use of the app drove a 60% increase in transport permits registered by companies in SUMAL, highlighting the powerful role of public accountability in combating fraud. Civil society groups, such as Greenpeace Romania, Romanian media, and international NGOs, including EIA, have made use of Forest Inspector data to expose illegalities, from fraudulent transport permits to unsustainable logging practices in protected and old-growth forests.
The German NGO Euronatur partnered with EIA to uncover illegal logging operations linked to Romania’s pellet industry. Their 2022 investigation revealed that Ameco Renewable Energy, a major pellet producer, sourced logs extensively from protected Natura 2000 forests and national parks. Months of SUMAL data analysis showed hundreds of shipments of whole logs being transported to Ameco’s facility, where Euronatur filmed high-quality logs being chipped up and made into wood pellets for export to Italy, Greece, and other countries. Similarly, Greenpeace Romania documented illegal shipments to Ecoforest, a major pellet producer, and uncovered large-scale logging of 130-year-old trees in Natura 2000 protected areas. These investigations demonstrate how Forest Inspector data enables detailed tracking of timber supply chains, helping to reveal environmental harm caused by key players in the sector. The New York Times built on these findings with an on the ground field investigation, data analysis, and infographics.
Logs being chipped to make pellets at Ameco’s factory
Major multinational companies have also faced scrutiny thanks to SUMAL data. Investigations by EIA, Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, and Agent Green found that IKEA’s suppliers in Romania sourced wood from questionable operations, including clearcuts in protected forests. These reports linked IKEA’s supply chain to destructive forestry practices and highlighted systemic issues in its oversight. Data from SUMAL was crucial in tracing timber shipments from harvest plots in old-growth forests to sub-suppliers and IKEA’s contract factories, raising serious concerns about the sustainability of its products. NGOs Bruno Manser Fonds and Agent Green also documented mismanagement in IKEA-managed forests and revealed potentially illegal sourcing practices tied to the production of oak cutting boards, countertops, and tables sold globally.
SUMAL data has further exposed fraudulent practices among some of Romania’s largest timber processors. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in collaboration with Romanian investigative outlet RISE, uncovered systematic fraud in wood transports to Kronospan, one of the world’s leading fiberboard manufacturers and an important supplier to IKEA. Investigators identified over 100 instances of falsified transport permits and fake photos of cargo submitted by Kronospan’s transport company, raising questions about the legality of its wood sources. These findings underline the indispensable role of the Forest Inspector in promoting transparency and accountability, empowering citizens and investigators alike to combat illegal logging and safeguard Romania’s forests.
