Codru (plural form: ''codri''; en, forests or woods) is the name of the

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s that grow in the hilly part of central

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...

History

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

most of the

Principality of Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Central ...

's hills were forested, and the forested area in general was referred to as ''codrii'', with bigger regional forests often given names such as ''Codrii Cosminului'' (''Cosmin Codrii''), ''Codrii Plonini'' (''Plonini Codrii''), ''Codrii Hotinului'' (''Hotin Codrii''; also ''Pădurea Hotinului'', ''Hotin Forest''), ''Codrii Orheiului'' (''Orhei Codrii''), ''Codrii Lăpușnei'' (''Lăpușna Codrii''). Although the hills represent about 80%–90% of the territory of Moldova, the forested area has decreased after 1800 due to intensive

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

of the fertile land to about 12%. At the moment the area of the forest is continuously decreasing, both in surface and ecologically. In early 21st century the area is estimated under 35%. Despite the fact that there are still several big forests that have been preserved, including some designated as

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

s, the country currently suffers from acute insufficiency of forests (with respect to its normal ecology), translated into poorer and less water for human and

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

use. These uplands are interlaced by deep, flat valleys, ravines, and landslide-scoured depressions separated by sharp ridges. Steep, forest-clad slopes account for much of the ''codrii''. The highest point in Moldova, Bălănești Hill (''Dealul Bălănești''; 429 m or 1,407 ft) is located in the Cornești Hills, located between

Prut The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , uk, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. Characteristics The Prut originates ...

and

Răut Răut, also referred to as Reut (, Ukrainian and (Reut), (Revet)) is a river in Moldova, a right tributary of Dniester. Răut, generally navigable until the 18th-19th century, is navigable today only by small recreational boats. The towns Băl� ...

rivers, in the core ''codrii'' area.

External links

1992 Postage Stamps for the Codrii Nature Preserve
{{coord, 47.1000, N, 28.3000, E, source:wikidata, display=title Forests of Moldova Environment of Moldova

History

See also

External links