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NewsNews on the development of forestry projects in the regions of Russian Federation12 August Kurganskaya region is completing the development of ten-year forest exploitation project Ural region is completing a ten-year forest exploitation project for 2209-2018.Its main objective is to increase profitability of this natural resource. According to the report of Victor Shevelev, the director of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Department of Kurganskaya Oblast, at the region's Govenor meeting, the project is comprised of 3 major parts: an outline of forest state, the main directions of its usage, care, protection and regeneration,and the evaluation of economic efficiency of implementing forest exploitation plans. As a result, the budget is expected to receive 1.6 billion roubles.
Forest exploitation plan will come into force on the 1 of January 2009.
It should be reminded that the overall area of forest reserves accounts for 1766.3 k ha. Region's coniferous forest makes up 362.9 k ha.
13 August
The Forestry Plan is completed in Karelia
The Forestry Plan is completed in Karelia. According to Sergey Sharlayev, the Vice-Minister of Forestry Complex of the republic, this document will determine the development of forest harvesting, recreational and tourist fields of the region. A regional environmental public organization SPOK reported to WOOD.RU portal that the Forestry Plan has been developed by OAO Rosgiproles run by Yuri Romashev. Group of specialists of PetrGu headed by the professor llya Romanovich Shegelman participated in the project. Under the existing legislation, the access to the Forestry Plan, presented at the latest Ministry of Forestry Complex meeting, must be granted to every party concerned. Over the next 30 days all concerned should be given access to get familiar with the document and submit their comments to relevant ministry. However, for the time being the access has not been given, SPOK reported.
Nevertheless, some comments may be made on the basis of information presented on Karelia government's web-site.
On the upside, from SPOK's point of view , it could be noticed that the term "biodiversity" has been used in the document, which is an implementation of the new Forestry Code provisions and an indication of the fact that environmental considerations have found their way into the new practices of forest exploitation. Another positive aspect of the document is the announcement that, according to the Ministry, a new programme named "Virgin forests of RK " is being developed and fulfilled. This is an extremely relevant piece of news as it demonstrates the growing understanding of the importance of forest reservation and rational exploitation of unique virgin forests of Karelia among republic authorities.
At the same time a strategic scenario of the Forestry plan is supposed to give priority to large-scale road construction with the aim of exploiting the remaining areas of overripe forest as well as cutting after-bleeding growing stock. This is planned to contribute to the increase of calculated felling rate.
In connection with this, as SPOK writes, we would like to note that firstly, while making any kind of plans the objectives should be thoroughly chosen as they are going to determine the means.
If, for example, Karelia’s forestry complex aims at maximizing the volume of logged wood, the proposed scenarios may well meet the end. However, if we choose to aim at reaching economic effect, improving the wellbeing of republic’s population and reaching sustainable forest management, it is obvious that building new roads to allow for logging at distant, very often unused and extremely valuable, bearing in mind ecological considerations, forest areas will hardly meet the end.
In terms of economic efficiency, after-bleeding growing stock shouldn’t be of particular interest as its timber quality is extremely low. Meanwhile, that kind of growing stock is perfectly able to survive and continue growing without much change.
Secondly, a significant part of overripe forest in Karelia is unique, virgin forest, which is going to be listed as Particularly Guarded Natural Territories (PGNT) in compliance with Karelia Government Ordinance # 102-P , 16 July 2007.
Thirdly, today every large enough area of virgin forest that occupies more than 50 k ha is being voluntarily preserved by leaseholders’ enterprises, who take lease of forest fund, as a unique natural legacy of the republic. Wood harvesting companies are not planning to log in these areas.
Thus, the plans of logging in significant areas of overripe forest (excluding insignificant part of that kind of growing stock that has grown, relatively recently, in the areas logged at the beginning of the 20th century) do not comply with both Karelia Government’s Ordinances and long-term forest fund leaseholders’ plans.
SPOK completely agrees with the Forest Plan’s idea of road constructing and allocating significant funds to this end. At the same time, the planned extensive road network should be built on after-logging territories of secondary forest, which is extremely important for organizing extensive forestry sector.
The latter should not only include forest regeneration, but also all types of thinning in young and pole stage growing stock. This will also make forest ripe and reach its marketable stage faster, provide pulpwood supplies as a result of thinning, and resolve one of the most crucial employment tasks by hiring local population to carry out forestry practices. At present, modernization of wood harvesting has made a lot of human recourses redundant. Meanwhile, virtually every forest leaseholder has significant areas of young and pole stage growing stock at their disposal.
Thus, SPOK writes, hopefully the draft Forest Plan is going to be improved and brought in accordance with both the existing legislation and forestry realities of Karelia Republic. |
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