Promoting Sustainable Forest Management in Russia Elena Kulikova

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 CO 2 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 (reorganization 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 Russia Forest 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 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 Value in 2008 Total Russian Export of Forest Products in 2008: 12 549 million USD

Problems of Russian Forests ILLEGAL LOGGING IN HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE FORESTS POOR FOREST MANAGEMENT Russia avoided deforestation, However there is a lack of high-quality wood in accessible commercial areas

Global Forest and Trade Network – Russia 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 management by 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 2009 1 – Ilim Group 2 – Arkhangelsk PPM 3 – Volga 4 – Solombala Sawmill 5 – Kartontara 6 – TAMAK 7 – Sawmill-25 8 – Cherepovetsles 9 – Lesosibirsk Sawmill-1 10 – Solikamskbumprom 11 – SLT – Sawmill-3 12 – Fankom 13 – Dammers 14 – Swedwood Tikhvin 28 – Mospromstroymaterialy-Vyatka 15 – Siberian Silver Pine – Management 29 – Pankratov 16 – Zalazna Sawmill 30 – Primorsklesprom 17 – VM-Invest 31 – Primorsky GOK 18 – Cardinal 32 – Serebryanaya Sosna 19 – Les Export 33 – TMKPerspektiva 20 – Premium-les 34 – Mondi Syktyvkar 21 – Yeniseylesozavod 35 – Kay 22 – Arkhangelsk Sawmill-3 36 – Segezha PPM 23 – Priozersky DOZ 37 – Sorvizhi-les 24 – Terneyles 38 – Kata 25 – Lesinterkom 39 – Malakhit 26 – Titan-Lesprom 40 – PLO Onegales 27 – Technoclassik 41 – Prizma Holz 42 – Onega Sawmill 43 – Investlesprom 44 – Resurs. Les. Trans 45 – Delta-Plus 46 – Lesprom-Invest 47 – Baikal 48 – Gogohiya 49 – Exportles Co. 50 – Sib-Ekologiya

Share of GFTN-Russia Participants in the Russian Forest Export Pulp & Paper Fibreboard Furniture 16% 32% 35% 68% 65% 84% Shaped wood Sawnwood 13% 87% Round wood 5% 6% 94% 95%

Voluntary Forest Certification Systems in Russia FSC certification began in PEFC National Standard was Russia in 2000 endorsed in 2009 FSC National Standard was PEFC forest area – 0 ha endorsed in 2008 FSC forest area – 21. 5 mln ha FSC controlled wood certification and other legality verification systems

FSC certification Development in Russia All over the world – > 100 ml ha in > 80 countries Canada – > 24 ml ha

FSC COC Certificates in Russia 2008 – 19, 2009 – 11

FSC FM certificates The biggest areas : Ilim. Sever. Les – 1 677 413 ha Ilim. Sib. Les – 1 589 944 ha Segezha PPM - 1 524 470 ha The smallest areas: Mospromstroymaterialy-Vyatka – 4263 ha Lesintercom – 6903 ha Priozersky lesokombinat – 8707 ha The biggest certified companies: Ilim Group – 4 323 116 га Investlesprom – 3 994 821 га Mondi Syktyvkar – 3 078 091 га Siberia – 4 965 481 ha (22%) Far East – 1 443 504 ha (6%)

FSC Promotion Campaign in 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 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 forestgrowing zones

Pskov Model Forest • 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

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