The State Duma discussed amendments to the draft law on forest roads

On June 18, a working meeting of the Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection was held in the State Duma. The discussion focused on the draft federal law on the regulation of the creation, maintenance and operation of forest roads. The Association "Russian Timber" was represented at the meeting by its First Vice President Andrey Goncharov.

Representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, and the Federal Forestry Agency took part in the discussion.

The draft law was prepared in order to fulfill the instructions of the President of Russia and is aimed at eliminating legal gaps in the field of forest road infrastructure. Currently, the current legislation does not define the procedure for the creation and operation of forest roads.

Dmitry Kobylkin, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection: “The adoption of this bill will create a legal basis for the development of transport infrastructure in the forestry complex, which is especially important for the development of hard-to-reach forest areas and increasing the efficiency of forest management. The committee decided to support the submission of the bill to the State Duma and recommend it for adoption in the second reading, taking into account the amendments received”.

The bill is expected to be submitted for consideration at the plenary session of the State Duma on June 24.

Additionally, it is planned to eliminate one of the key barriers to the construction of forest roads. Currently, tenants are forced to obtain a license for the extraction of minerals in order to use sand for road works. The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Natural Resources are preparing a simplified procedure that will remove excessive administrative restrictions.