Compensatory forests

The draft federal law elaborated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia together with the Federal Forest Agency, amending the Forest Code of the Russian Federation, is aimed at implementing the National Plan for the forest cover percent conservation and growth. According to the draft, the forest cover percent should be a key measure of forestry effectiveness. It is offered to make its growth as one of the basic principles of forest legislation.

The draft law addresses the issue of economic efficiency of activity of forest establishments and qualified performers of forestry works on non-tenanted timberland.

The document sets forth the standards to be met by persons engaged in reforestation. This includes the provision of equipment, machinery, forest seeds and planting material required for qualitative reforestation.

The draft law amending the Forest Code also provides for the measures to economically encourage the timberland tenants to perform reforestation works to a good quality. For example, in the areas where reforestation is carried out in full and using the ball-rooted planting material and seeds with improved hereditary properties or planting material grown from them, the rental payment under the contract will be reduced. Also, if over 10 years the reproduction works are carried out in full, the entrepreneur receives the right to conclude a tenancy contract for another timberland.

Another vitally important aspect affecting the proposed changes concerns the new procedure for the establishment of “compensatory” forests on areas cut down when developing the mineral deposits, constructing pipelines, highways, power lines, placing the wood processing facilities in forest. The basic principle is that the territory covered by reforestation works should not be less than the area deforested.

In addition, the draft law provides that persons, who apply for transferring the forest reserve lands to the lands of other categories, are to provide for the establishment of “compensatory” forests on areas, not less than the areas excluded from the forest reserve.

Such “compensatory” forests will be established within the boundaries of the constituent of the Russian Federation on the territory of which the forest plantations are cut down against the facilities or transferred to the lands of other categories, according to the standards and in a manner to be determined by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Also the draft law contemplates the increasing of reforestation work transparency by regular posting in Internet the analytical information on areas on which reforestation is possible.

“The proposed amendments to the Forest Code of the Russian Federation will create conditions for reforestation works to be performed by the specialized forestry organizations having the necessary infrastructure, machinery, and equipment. The timberland tenant will be able to perform the works all by itself, but it should meet the standards for reforestation infrastructure availability. Thus, the forestry services market will appear that has a positive impact on the reforestation volume and quality.

The draft law creates additional incentives for high-quality reproduction of forests on timberland holdings using innovative technologies.

It will provide the elimination of such factor of forest cover percent reducing as “irrecoverable disposal of forest lands occupied by infrastructure facilities”. It will allow involving additional areas where reforestation is possible in allocation of felling,” commented on the legislative innovations, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation – the Head of the Federal Forestry Agency Ivan Valentik.