Off-site meeting of the Council on the Development of the Forestry Complex of the Russian Federation under the Federation Council

A visiting session of the Council for the Development of the Forestry Complex of the Russian Federation under the Federation Council was held in Kirov. It was chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Yuri Vorobyov. The Russian Timber Association was represented at the event by First Vice President Andrei Goncharov.

Representatives of the Federation Council, the Accounts Chamber, federal and regional authorities, and the scientific and business communities took part in the discussion. The focus was on the situation in the forestry complex of the Volga Federal District. In the Volga Federal District, 26 investment projects have been successfully implemented, with investments amounting to about 45 billion rubles. Despite the overall decline in forestry production in Russia, the Volga Region continues to show growth in certain areas — from 5 to 10% — in the panel industry and wooden housing construction.

At the same time, the Kirov Region ranks first in the district and sixth in Russia in terms of timber harvesting volumes. Almost 90% of timber is processed here, its procurement and processing is carried out by more than 2,000 organizations in the region. The region is the leader in the number of completed and ongoing projects: this list includes 11 investment projects

The meeting participants visited several enterprises implementing deep timber processing projects, including in the plywood, boards and prefabricated house segments.

The key areas of the Council's work were discussed:

• improving the regulatory framework;
• developing forest management and the operation of the forestry complex information system;
• implementing unmanned technologies;
• strengthening technological sovereignty;
• supporting investors and stimulating the domestic market.

The next meeting of the Council will be held in the fall, where it is planned to discuss the results of the year and updating the Forestry Complex Development Strategy.