Karelia to become the first Russian region to use intensive forest management

Petrozavodsk, November 22. Karelian government has agreed with Russian Forest Service (Rosleskhoz) that Karelia would become the first region to use intensive forest management methods, as announced by Karelian governor Aleksandr Hudilainen commenting on the results of the IV Russian-Finnish Forest Summit.

‘’We will adopt Scandinavian experience in order to increase timber yield. As for today, yield in Scandinavia is four to six times higher than in Karelia’’, Hudilainen said.

‘’Cutting that was normally made in Karelia was clear-cutting. It is wrong. During the forest maturation, which is around 70-100 years, cutting will be made four times. First thinning, then sanitary felling, then cutting of mature marketable wood. Share of high-quality timber will grow then. Presently, share of high-quality wood in Russia is around 40%, while in Scandinavia it is 80%’’, Hudilainen concluded.

If this pilot project proves successful, it will be copied out to other heavy-forested regions of Russia.