Association "Russian Forest" and "OPORA RUSSIA" made recommendations for supporting the timber industry

OPORA RUSSIA and the Russkiy Les association have drawn up recommendations for supporting the timber industry. The document was the result of the congress of OPORA RUSSIA leaders in Irkutsk in July 2022, when the OPORA RUSSIA Commission on the timber industry and forestry held a round table "Problem issues of the timber industry and ways to solve them in the face of sanctions pressure from foreign states."

The proposals formulated during the round table were sent to the Governor of the Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev, and are also being worked out with the relevant departments.

• In order to support industry enterprises in the Irkutsk region and other key regions of the country for the timber industry, it is proposed to use the practice of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to defer lease payments for the use of forests for timber harvesting in 2022-2023.

• The government of the Irkutsk region is recommended to consider the possibility of introducing a moratorium in the Angara region on the termination of forest lease agreements until the end of 2022

Andrey Goncharov, Chairman of the Commission on the Timber Industry and Forestry, First Vice President of the Russian Forest Association: “The task of business associations is to formulate high-quality and submit draft decisions to government bodies based on the proposals of enterprises and effective practices that will help support business in the current environment. The proposals sent to the governor of the Irkutsk region will have a positive impact on the work of the enterprises of the region's forestry complex.

According to the results of the round table, the OPORA RUSSIA Commission for the Timber Industry and Forestry will send a number of appeals to the Government of the Russian Federation. One of them concerns the need to adopt a draft law prepared by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia jointly with the Federal Forestry Agency, which provides for the abolition of the ban on the provision of forest plots for leasing for timber harvesting if forest inventory was carried out more than ten years ago.