The Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia is improving the legislation regarding the implementation of “compensatory” reforestation
Article 63.1 of the Forest Code of the Russian Federation establishes the obligation to create “compensation” forests on areas equal to the areas of forests cut down during the development of mineral deposits, construction of pipelines, roads, power lines, location of timber processing facilities in the forest, as well as transfer of forest fund lands in lands of other categories.
In order to improve the mechanism of “compensatory” reforestation, taking into account the proposals from the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and persons using forests, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation has prepared amendments to regulatory legal acts.
The rules for implementation of reforestation or afforestation by persons using forests for subsoil use and placement of infrastructure facilities, and by persons requesting or applying for a change in the purpose of the forest site, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 566 of May 7, 2019, shall be supplemented with the following provisions:
- on mandatory coordination with state authorities authorized in the field of forestry relations, with state authorities or local self-government in the field of conservation, use, popularization and state protection of cultural heritage sites of lands on which “compensatory” reforestation is possible;
- on inclusion in the information about lands of additional information on location and area of land, land category, forest conditions, land characteristics, type of work, transport accessibility, degree of readiness of the site to perform work, the amount of necessary preparatory work, restrictions on the performance of “compensation” reforestation;
- about the possibility of replacing forest areas, which according to the results of field surveys were found unsuitable for reforestation, by other areas;
- on expanding the possibility of artificial reforestation by introducing aero-sowing technology in transport-remote (inaccessible) forest areas where there is no possibility of year-round passage;
- on establishment of features of the work on “compensatory” reforestation by persons carrying out forest cutting during seismic exploration in development of mineral deposits.
The Reforestation Rules, approved by order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated March 25, 2019, are amended to provide for the establishment of conditions under which the work on “compensatory” reforestation is considered completed.
Press Service of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia