Abnormal temperature undermined harvesting enterprises of the Leningrad region

In 2019, harvesting enterprises of the Leningrad region harvested only 5.2 million m³ of wood, which is almost 20% less than in 2018 and 1.7 million m³ less than the targeted volume. The main reason for that was the abnormally warm beginning of this winter season, due to which the equipment didn’t manage to get to the areas allotted for harvesting. Because of this, direct losses of harvesting enterprises in the region could have amounted to almost 290 million rubles, and lost profits – to 5 billion rubles. As Kommersant reports, the authorities of the Leningrad region are developing supporting measures, including the postponement of rent payments for the use of forest lands as well as of payments for seeds for reforestation.

Pavel Nemchinov, Chairman of the Committee for Natural Resources of the Leningrad region, also reported on the problem of harvesting enterprises at the meeting of the regional government. The main reason for the decline in timber harvesting, according to Mr. Nemchinov, was abnormally high temperatures, due to which it was impossible to work in many areas allotted for winter harvesting: equipment could not get to hard-to-reach places due to unfrozen, loose soil. “This winter was the worst one in the last 50 years. Only eight days in the entire winter season there was the temperature required to haul the wood from felling sites.”