A new procedure for the development of a forest development project has been approved
On March 1, 2023, the updated procedure for developing a forest development project will come into effect. The innovations will directly affect the procedure for developing a document, making changes to it, format requirements - now it will be exclusively in electronic form. A little more than a year is left before the introduction of changes, and forest users have time to adapt to new requirements.
The updated document expands the list of cases of changes in the forest development project. The innovation was initiated by forest users: in the current order, there are only 2 grounds for making changes, which is not enough for effective work. In the new version, the list of cases has been expanded to 6. Thus, changes can also be made based on approved acts of the forest pathological survey, taking into account the established annual volume of timber harvesting, as well as based on the results of state monitoring of forest reproduction when making changes to the state forest register.
The new document assumes an enhanced qualified electronic signature. It will be possible to get it through a single portal of state and municipal services, as well as through other information technologies for interaction with executive authorities authorized in the field of forest relations, or through the official website using a unified identification and authentication system.
The updated procedure was approved by order of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation dated November 16, 2021 No. 864, in line with increasing the transparency of the forest industry and transferring it to a digital footing. Until March 1, 2023, the current requirements for the composition of a forest development project and the procedure for its development continue to apply in the industry.