Parliamentary hearings "Forest management: current problems and directions of development"

Today, March 30, the Committee of the Federation Council on Agrarian Food Policy and Nature Management, together with the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Forestry, held parliamentary hearings "Forest Management: Actual Problems and Directions of Development." The Russian Forest Association was represented by its first vice-president Andrey Goncharov.

According to the results of parliamentary hearings, it was decided to recommend:

Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation and Rosleskhoz

  • provide legal regulation for the formation of a competitive environment in the use of forests, ensure equal access for persons using forests for timber harvesting to sources of state funding for forest management activities within the boundaries of forest plots leased to them;
  • to ensure priority forest management at the expense of federal budget funds in forest areas provided for long-term use for timber harvesting, as well as in forests that meet the needs of the population in timber, state or municipal needs, as well as the development of small and medium-sized businesses;
  • introduce a moratorium on the operation of Part 10 of Article 29 of the Forest Code of the Russian Federation, which prohibits the leasing of forest plots, which were assessed more than ten years ago;
  • ensure healthy competition in the course of forest management work, do not limit the circle of organizers and performers exclusively to state and municipal accredited bodies, allowing specialized businesses to participate in these works.

To the Government of the Russian Federation

Consider allocating additional funding for forest management:

  • in 2024 in the amount of at least 2 billion rubles. — to ensure the scope of work on forest inventory, taking into account measures to preserve forests on an area of at least 16.7 million hectares;
  • in 2025-2026 at least 4.8 billion rubles. — to ensure the implementation of forest inventory work in terms of forest inventory, taking into account the design of forest conservation measures in the amount of at least 25.0 million hectares.