Promoting Sustainable Forest Management in Russia

Elena Kulikova,

WWF Russia Forest Programme Director

Russian Forest Sector: Overall Context

Forests of Russia: Wealth and Poverty

• Forest sector as a part of resource-based economy

• 22% of World forests• 3% of World timber trade• 1 place in World by amount of

round wood trade• The lowest stumpage fee in

the World• Profit from forest management

per 1 ha about 10 times less, than in Scandinavia

Global Importance of Russian Forests: Biodiversity and Climate Change Agenda One of four mega-areas of

intact forests in the World (along with Canada, Brazil, and Congo basin)

Russia accounts for 25% of the world's large massifs of intact forests

Russian boreal forests has highest biodiversity and endemism among the other boreal forests in the World

Sink for 15% of global CO2 emissions

Map of Russian Intact Forest

Key Ecological Problems of Russian Forests

• The pioneer “mining” of intact forests massifs is still on-going

• Imperfect forest management practice

• The biodiversity of commercial forests is decreasing (share of aspen and birch increased up to 30-40% of total area)

• As the result of forest fires about 2 mln ha of commercial forests burn every year

On-going Reforms in Russian Forest Sector

• Forest Code (frame character, about 60 sub-ordinate normative acts needed to be developed)

• Maximum decentralization - delivery of responsibilities on forest management to the regional level (re-organization of stricture and staff)

• Changing in export tax policy for round wood• Priority investment projects• May, 2008 – new Government, forestry under the

Ministry of Agriculture, new Head of FFA

Specificity of Forest Reforms Implementation

• All they are implemented simultaneously• Short-term period of realization • Lack of information and communications, a lot

of uncertainties• Lack of public involvement into decision-making

process

WWF RussiaForest Programme Priorities

• Forest Policy,FLEG and illegal logging

• HCVF

• Model forests

• Certification

• GFTN

• Forest and Climate

Forest Policy,FLEG and Illegal logging

Forest Policy

• Tools: Public Ecological Council under Federal Forestry Agency and Forest Council under the Ministry of Agriculture

• Major problem: low quality of new forest legislation • Developing set of amendments• A scorecard of ecological responsibility and

sustainability of forest management of Russian forest regions has been created (by 2010)

Status of FLEG Issues

• Programme of measures on elimination of illegal turnover of wood, adopted by the Government (February, 2007).

• Federal level - set of activities• Regional initiatives• Relevant agencies’ activities (Ministry of Interior,

Custom, Transportation, etc.)

Status of FLEG Issues

BUT…• Due to reforms, uncertainties in legislation, poor

practice of law enforcement, etc. scale of illegal logging is raising

• There are no regional bodies designated for forest violation control or they are very limited in capacities

• Forest guard is abolished and its functions are distributed among 5-9 servicies

• Statistic is not available

FSC Certification

in Russia

FSC standard

•  November 11, 2008 Russian national FSC standard got official accreditation.

• Development of this standard started in 1998; the last (fifth) version of it was sent to FSC in December 2007.

Rate of FSC Certification Growth in Russia

• 2000 – first certificate in Altaysky Kray - 32,7 thousand ha

• 2009 – 21 ml ha (North-West, Siberia, Far East)• It comprises 15% of commercial forests• 2-nd place in the world • Leads to improved forest management

FSC Forest Management Certificates in Russia: Geography

FTN Russia as a

Driver of FSC

Certification

Russian Export of Forest Products by Russian Export of Forest Products by Value in 2008Value in 2008

China30%

Finland12%Japan

6%

Other28%

Ukraine3%

Turkey3%

Germany4% Egypt

4%Uzbekistan4%

Kazakhstan4%

Azerbaijan2%

Total Russian Export of Forest Products in 2008:Total Russian Export of Forest Products in 2008:12 549 million USD12 549 million USD

Problems of Russian ForestsProblems of Russian Forests

ILLEGALLOGGING

LOGGING INHIGH

CONSERVATIONVALUE

FORESTS

POORFOREST

MANAGEMENT

Russia avoided deforestation,However there is a lack of high-quality wood in accessible commercial areas

Global Forest and Trade Network – Global Forest and Trade Network – RussiaRussia

GFTN in Russia was established in 1999 as the Association of Environmentally Responsible Timber Producers

Goal – to eliminate illegal logging and drive improvements in forest managementby encouraging voluntary forest certification

At present, GFTN-Russia consists of 50 participants and 10 applicants,

Which manage near 24.8 million ha of leased forests, or 21% of such forests in Russia

GFTN-Russia in 2009GFTN-Russia in 20091 – Ilim Group2 – Arkhangelsk PPM3 – Volga4 – Solombala Sawmill 5 – Kartontara6 – TAMAK 7 – Sawmill-25 8 – Cherepovetsles9 – Lesosibirsk Sawmill-110 – Solikamskbumprom11 – SLT – Sawmill-3 12 – Fankom13 – Dammers14 – Swedwood Tikhvin

15 – Siberian Silver Pine – Management16 – Zalazna Sawmill17 – VM-Invest18 – Cardinal19 – Les Export20 – Premium-les21 – Yeniseylesozavod22 – Arkhangelsk Sawmill-323 – Priozersky DOZ24 – Terneyles25 – Lesinterkom26 – Titan-Lesprom27 – Technoclassik

28 – Mospromstroymaterialy-Vyatka29 – Pankratov30 – Primorsklesprom31 – Primorsky GOK32 – Serebryanaya Sosna33 – TMKPerspektiva34 – Mondi Syktyvkar 35 – Kay 36 – Segezha PPM37 – Sorvizhi-les 38 – Kata39 – Malakhit 40 – PLO Onegales41 – Prizma Holz42 – Onega Sawmill43 – Investlesprom44 – ResursLesTrans45 – Delta-Plus46 – Lesprom-Invest47 – Baikal48 – Gogohiya49 – Exportles Co.50 – Sib-Ekologiya

Share of GFTN-Russia Participants in Share of GFTN-Russia Participants in the Russian Forest Exportthe Russian Forest Export

Pulp & Paper

68%

32%

Sawnwood

13%

87%

Shaped wood

6%

94%

Fibreboard

35%

65%

Furniture

16%

84%

Round wood

5%

95%

Voluntary Forest Certification Systems Voluntary Forest Certification Systems in Russiain Russia

FSC certification began in Russia in 2000FSC National Standard was endorsed in 2008FSC forest area – 21.5 mln ha

PEFC National Standard was endorsed in 2009PEFC forest area – 0 ha

FSC controlled wood certification

and other legality verification systems

1 282 111

101 623 132 823 132 823

3 860 682

7 831 949

14 760 675

19 277 928

20 626 613

0

5 000 000

10 000 000

15 000 000

20 000 000

25 000 000

2000 г 2001 г 2002 г 2003 г 2004 г 2005 г 2006 г 2007 г 2008 г

га

FSC certification Development in Russia

76%

24%

All over the world – > 100 ml ha in > 80 countries

Canada – > 24 ml ha

FSC COC Certificates in RussiaFSC COC Certificates in Russia

2 2 24

8

19

43

60

65

72

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2000 г 2001 г 2002 г 2003 г 2004 г 2005 г 2006 г 2007 г 2008 г 2009 г

2008 – 19, 2009 – 11

FSC FM certificates

The biggest areas :IlimSeverLes – 1 677 413 haIlimSibLes – 1 589 944 haSegezha PPM - 1 524 470 ha

The smallest areas:Mospromstroymaterialy-Vyatka – 4263 haLesintercom – 6903 haPriozersky lesokombinat – 8707 ha

The biggest certified companies: Ilim Group – 4 323 116 гаInvestlesprom – 3 994 821 гаMondi Syktyvkar – 3 078 091 га

Siberia – 4 965 481 ha (22%) Far East – 1 443 504 ha (6%)

FSC Promotion Campaign FSC Promotion Campaign in Russiain Russia

Main goals:1. To communicate ecological, social and forest management features of

certified forests/products, thus influencing the development of purchasing policies of companies and purchasing priorities.

2. To raise up FSC logo recognizability among the interested parties on a domestic market as a sign of guarantee that the unwanted timber volumes are minimized and better forest preservation is secured

Partners:

FSC Promotion Campaign in RussiaFSC Promotion Campaign in Russia

1 – Work with big customers of forest products (big corporate customers, including banks, with social responsible policies)

2 – State and municipal purchasing (Moscow, St.Petersburg, etc.)

3 – Work with big retailers (office paper, DIY, furniture, etc.)

4 – Work with individual customers (mass media, Internet, social advertising)

5 – FSC logo promotion (among corporate and individual customers, promotion campaign)

High Conservation Value Forests

High Conservation Value Forests• Concept is widely used by business in certification process• WWF role: adaptation to the Russian conditions, possible

legalization, identification and mapping, management• Cases, geography, practical use• WWF «Key Requirements on HCVF for the FSC Process

Participants» - widely using• Number of publications• Attempts of legalization are not successful yet

Pskov Model Forest

Topical Questions of Russian Forestry

• How to ensure sustainable forest management

• Profitability of forest use

• Social and ecological issues of forest use

• Role of forests in different forest-growing zones

• System of intensive sustainable management is implemented and demonstrated for the first time in Russia

• Priorities:

increased and stable profit,

conservation of biodiversity,

account of interests of local population

Pskov Model Forest

Nature Conservation Effect of Model Forests

• Key question: is it necessary to explore remote primary forests including intact forests?

• Idea of intensive sustainable forest management in secondary forests of already explored territories as an alternative of intact forests exploitation

• Cluster approach • Already demonstrated ability under Russian

conditions (Pskov Model Forest)

Forest and Cimate

• Pioneer demonstrator project in North-West Russia

• Forest conservation through the retiring of harvesting concessions – creation of regional protected area – decision of regional administration

• Improving harvesting practices – forest harvesting company Svetlozerskles - FSC

• GDNI- expertise on LULUCF• FCNI – membership in Advisory Board on

green standards

Education, Training, Publications

• Text book on sustainable forest management for secondary school

• Text book on sustainable forest management for Higher Education

• “Sustainable Forest Management” Journal

ekulikova@wwf.ru