The Wooden Housing Construction Association submitted a package of measures to support the domestic timber industry to the Government of the Russian Federation

The Wooden Housing Construction Association approached the expert board of the Federation Council with a package of proposed measures to support the timber industry under the conditions of sanctions pressure. Members of the Association propose, for instance, to introduce a subsidized mortgage for private housing projects that apply industrially produced wooden load-bearing structures; the interest rate on such a mortgage would equal the Central Bank’s key interest rate minus 2%, as reported by TASS that references a letter from the Association.

The Association also emphasized the need for import substitution, which is proven by 2021 data. The segment of private housing projects consumed 6.9 million m³, while the export to Europe (which is currently lost) was 4.9 million m³ of sawn timber. The letter from the Association says that subsidizing the citizens’ expenses on buying wooden house kits in the amount of 450,000 rubles over five years would solve this problem.

The Association also suggests developing standard designs of industrial and civil facilities, private housing, and public buildings made of wood; expanding the application of glued laminated timber in construction and utilities, and subsidizing the loans (reducing the interest rate to 3% per annum) taken to purchase tools, components, and spare parts for equipment abroad.