Forest business demands experiments

Russian forest industry is in need of experiments, - the conclusion was made by the participants of “Intensive and sustainable forest management” seminar, which took place in Archangelsk, on November, 24, 2011.

Nowadays extensive forest utilization -that is through final felling operations-prevails in Russia. According to Elena Kulikova, the manager of Forest programme WWF of Russia , such a way of forest sector development in Russia is economically ineffective and environmentally dangerous. For 9 months 2011 actually some 35,6 mln cub m were harvested in the territory of North-West federal district while annual allowable volume of cutting amounts to 118,9 vkn cub m. It means that only one third of allowable raw material volume was procured. These figures were provided by Alexander Kavin, the head of Forest utilization and reproduction Division of North-West Federal district Forestry Department . He acknowledged that efficiency of forest exploitation is limited by weak development of forest infrastructure and as a result by low availability of forest resources. Construction of forest roads requires strong investments. Forest business has been for a long time insisting on adopting other way of forest exploitation - intensive, which will let cut much more timber even long before mature growth, while performing thinning and regeneration felling operations. It is profitable not only for business but also for forest-it will be more healthy, grow more rapidly thanks to this way of cutting. «Everything hinges on legislation, as current rates of thinning and regeneration felling are not applicable to intensive model of timber exploitation », - Alexander Kulachmetov , “Investlesprom” forest management director , pointed out. Forest business representatives suggest that harvesting by new method is allowed at least as an experiment.

«Today the President of this country demands to be innovative but without experiment it is senseless . Let us in a capacity of experiment prove how intensive method of forest exploitation more effective than traditional one », - Alexander Kulachmetov addressed authority representatives. By the seminar results its participants will work out some recommendations and suggestions to legislative and executive power bodies in respect of intensive forest exploitation development in Russia.

Russian Fortest News
Novemver, 25, 2011 г.