Rosleskhoz: a forest area lease contract may be terminated prematurely through a court ruling

Elena Borodavkina, Head of Legal Support and Forest Use Administration at the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz), explained that Federal Law dated 29.12.2022 No. 600-FZ “On introducing changes in the Forest Code of the Russian Federation”, which was adopted last December, enhances control of forest area leaseholders’ fulfillment of obligations on protecting forests from fires, restoring, and planting forests.

“Now, if a tenant fails to fulfill the assumed obligations on implementing forest management measures, regional forestry authorities may go to court and, following a court ruling, terminate the lease contract on a forest area. This will enhance control over bad-faith forest users who systemically break the rules of forest area use,” the official commented the new document.

This regulation came into force on September 1, 2023. The document specifies the violations that entail termination of lease contracts. The violations that can entail contract termination include failure to implement forest preservation measures, including forest protection from fires in compliance with integrated regional plans of fighting forest fires.