The Public Council of the Federal Forestry Agency discussed issues of forest conservation, protection, and restoration.

A meeting of the Public Council of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) was held to discuss key issues of forest conservation, protection, and restoration. Particular attention was paid to the results of the forest fire season and the progress of reforestation efforts.

Since the beginning of 2025, 6,800 forest fires have occurred on forest lands covering an area of ​​4.3 million hectares. The area burned was 1.9 times smaller than during the same period last year.

Evgeny Pisarevsky, Head of the Forest Fire Protection Department of the Federal Forestry Agency: "The most difficult forest fire situation developed in the spring in Transbaikalia and Buryatia. These two regions did not confirm their readiness for the fire season based on inspections. However, despite the difficult start, the situation was stabilized and a crisis was prevented. Most regions did not exceed the fire hazard limits and demonstrated high fire suppression efficiency within the first 24 hours.

By the end of the year, all key reforestation plans were fulfilled. Artificial reforestation was 101% complete, and agricultural management was 107%.

Elena Busygina, Head of the Forest Reproduction and Protection Department of the Federal Forestry Agency: “Implementation of the federal project ‘Forest Conservation’ continues. Work has been completed to classify reforestation areas as forested lands, amounting to 1.1 million hectares. Reforestation activities near cities and industrial centers were carried out on 111,400 hectares.”

The compensatory reforestation mechanism is actively developing: 278,000 hectares of commitments have been fulfilled. Work is planned, including in state-owned protective forest belts and around major cities.

During the meeting, the Public Council proposed creating a working group that would, through public assessments, be able to visit forest areas and monitor the quality of silvicultural work. Rosleskhoz supported this proposal.