Reducing deforestation. Chips - the smallest negative consequence of deforestation

Together with the post-Soviet degradation of forestry and« optimization» forestry infrastructure, annual forest fires have intensified. But no less catastrophic is the problem of illegal logging.

Below we publish a report with the results of our own research by CEPR experts.They conducted an in-depth expert survey in two "forest" regions of the country- in the Kirov region and in the Republic of Karelia. At the same time, the situation with illegal logging is similar in other subjects of the Russian Federation, including in the regions of Siberia and the Far East. Moreover, illegal deforestation in the Russian regions is "impossible without the support of the authorities" or, at least, of its individual representatives. The damage from illegal logging is estimated by experts at tens of millions of rubles annually. ATThe CEPR study involved people whose professional activities are directly or indirectly related to the forestry industry.

The logging industry is one of the most important sectors of the Russian economy. According to UN statistics, half of the territory of our country is covered with forests, and the total forest area of ​​Russia (851 million hectares) is one fifth of the forest area of ​​the planet Earth. Two thirds of these forests are suitable for use in the forest industry.

Russia is one of the largest producers and exporters of wood - fifth in the world, second in Europe .

According to the Federal Customs Service, the share of exports of timber and pulp and paper products to non-CIS countries in 2016 amounted to 3.3%, and to the CIS countries - 4.4%. According to the UN database UN Comtrade, the share of exports of timber, charcoal, wood products in 2015 was 1.8%. According to experts, the cost forest resources Russia exceeds the cost of resources such as oil and gas.

In 2015, according to the UN, the volume of official logging in Russia amounted to 206 million cubic meters. meters, that is, 5.5% of global volumes, among the countries of the world this is the fifth place. However, despite the huge resource potential, the efficiency of the Russian timber industry is extremely low. According to the representative of the Union of Timber Manufacturers and Exporters of Russia, the Russian timber industry is characterized by a low technical level of production, a technological lag behind world trends, low profitability and unstable financial position of industry enterprises, poorly developed road and industrial infrastructure, and a low level of forestry engineering. That's why the timber industry in Russia is low-income- according to experts, the producer's income from one cubic meter of wood is several times less than the average on the international logging market.

A separate serious problem for the Russian timber industry is illegal logging and subsequent sale of illegally harvested timber. Estimated World Fund wildlife Russia and World Bank up to 20% of wood harvested in Russian Federation, is illegal. If, for example, we rely on the previously indicated data that in Russia in 2015 206 million cubic meters were harvested. meters of wood, then the volume of illegal timber products, according to the specified expert estimates, will be 40-50 million cubic meters. meters of wood.

The damage to the budget is estimated at about 13-30 billion rubles annually(data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), in 2013 the Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation Sergey Donskoy called the figure in 10 billion rubles annually. Experts believe that illegal logging is most widespread in export-oriented regions rich in forest resources, especially in the regions of Siberia. In 2013 non-profit international organization The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has published an investigation into a scheme to legalize illegally cut wood and then sell it to China. Ecologists' assessments of the scale of illegal timber harvesting are very serious: for example, they believe that 50% to 75% of oak exported to China is illegal. There are other independent peer reviews.

Thus, the head of the Forest Program of the World Wildlife Fund, Elena Kulikova, claims that every fourth piece of wood in Russia is of “doubtful origin”. Director of the Amur branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Russia Yuri Darman emphasizes that two thirds of valuable tree species in the Far East are harvested illegally.

The damage from illegal logging is not only the country's economy, but also nature. Scientists from the World Resources Institute, the Maryland Institute and representatives of Google studied several hundred thousand satellite photographs of the Earth's surface and calculated exactly how much forests are destroyed in each country of the world every year. Russia was in first place - in the period from 2011 to 2013, an average of 4.3 million hectares of forest disappeared in our country annually. This figure can be compared with Canada, which was in second place with a result half as much - 2.4 million hectares annually. Scientists have also calculated that if all logging is stopped immediately, it will take at least 100 years to restore the forest in Russia.

However, according to Rosstat, last years there is no tendency to increase the scale of reforestation (and this is taking into account the fact that 2016 was - declared the Year of reforestation):

Center for Economic and Political Reforms held own study of the problem of illegal logging. We conducted an in-depth expert survey in two "forest" regions of the country - in the Kirov region and in the Republic of Karelia. At the same time, the situation with illegal logging is similar in other subjects of the Russian Federation, including in the regions of Siberia and the Far East.

Our study involved people whose professional activities are directly or indirectly related to the forest industry. We present the main results.

HOW URGENT IS THE PROBLEM AND WHAT IS THE DYNAMICS OF THE SITUATION?

The interviewed experts confirmed: the problem really exists, and it is extremely topical. The majority of respondents in both regions note that the problem has existed for a long time - it originated in perestroika times after the start of the privatization process.

Respondents' opinions about whether the scale of this phenomenon is growing or not differed. Most of the respondents from Karelia still tend to believe that illegal logging has occurred relatively less frequently in recent years, especially when compared with the 1990s, although they emphasize that it is difficult to give accurate estimates of the dynamics. In the Kirov region, assessments differ: some experts insist that the scale of the phenomenon has only been growing in recent years, others refer to official data on a decrease in the scale of illegal logging, as well as gradual results in the fight against poaching logging (in particular, the importance of adopting the Forest Code is emphasized in 2006), gaining experience in methods of this struggle among law enforcement and foresters. One of the experts from the Kirov region says that in recent years it has been possible to attract and punish more offenders.

Experts also cite the following interesting observation: those involved in illegal logging, learned how to get around the law. The scale of the problem is still large and difficult to pinpoint, but the methods used by perpetrators have become more sophisticated.

One interviewee reported on the experience of reducing the problem in one of the districts of the Republic of Karelia due to the fact that most of the area of ​​the district is leased, and the tenants take on the function of protecting the territory, and they perform this function effectively. Tenants control the logging carried out by contractors, preventing illegal logging, as well as the logging process. According to the expert, the absence of large-scale clearings in this area is also confirmed by space images taken as part of monitoring in 2015-2016.

However, the majority of respondents noted that one of the types of illegal logging is not poaching, but actions of official tenants or sub-tenants of plots, who often go beyond the boundaries of their plots, and also use other illegal schemes for cutting and selling forests. Moreover, most experts from the Kirov region believe that it is the official tenants who are behind the most extensive illegal logging (see the HOW IT WORKS? section).

SCOPE OF ILLEGAL FELLING

First of all, the experts assessed how many cubic meters of forest in their region are cut down annually. Most experts could not give exact figures: however, they agree that the recorded cases and the figures voiced at the official level do not cover all illegal logging. In addition, in fact, no one systematically monitors and counts the above-mentioned cases of going beyond the boundaries of the leased plots. According to experts, petty poaching in the vast majority of cases is not taken into account and, moreover, is not generalized.

One of the experts from the Kirov region gave his rough estimates, while suggesting that the real numbers could be even higher. According to his calculations, about 50,000 cubic meters of wood are cut down in the region per year. A representative of the Ministry of Nature Management and Ecology of the Republic of Karelia gives a figure of about 10.8 thousand cubic meters of wood for 2016.

When evaluating the annual financial loss The experts also encountered objective difficulties: some emphasized that it is necessary to count not only the amount for which the forest was cut down, but also to include unpaid taxes and illegal profits.

Some respondents gave a number of assessments. Thus, a representative of the Ministry of Nature Management and Ecology of the Republic of Karelia estimated the financial damage from illegal logging in the region in 2016 at 80 million rubles. Experts from the Kirov region announced different figures: 70 million rubles, 140 million; one respondent stressed that, taking into account unpaid taxes and illegally obtained profits, this amount could be many times higher.

However, more often the experts limited themselves to general assessments (for example, « million damage» ) and gave examples of specific, recently identified cases illustrating the extent of illegal logging and marketing of timber. Examples:

“Consider, if a violation was revealed in the Uninsky district a month ago, about 4 thousand cubic meters were cut illegally, and there are up to 7 such illegals in the region ...»

“Recently there was a case in Pitkyaranta - the head of the urban settlement lowered 100 wagons of commercial timber to the left” (respondent from Karelia);

“Periodically, after some kind of lawsuits, they say that the damage is calculated in millions in a particular case, and the total figures are under lock and key. For example, there was information that in December last year, a forest was cut down on the territory of 1 hectare. According to official published data, the damage amounted to more than two million rubles. There are such private histories and data, but the total damage is unknown.” (respondent from the Kirov region);

“There is evidence from noisy processes that damage is in the millions. I can imagine the total amount of damage in the region as a whole... I know that a lot of "black lumberjacks" operate in the Sovetsky district, there are even some kind of court squabbles, but I also know that all this ends in favor of those who have money »

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE

Experts almost unanimously recognized that illegal logging has an extremely negative impact on the environmental situation, and the problem is wider than a decrease in the amount of wood.

Deforestation inevitably entails a wide range of environmental problems. Due to illegal deforestation, which is inevitably disorderly and even barbaric, flora and fauna suffer - flora and fauna become poorer, soil erosion occurs, and other undesirable consequences occur. For example, experts from the Kirov region say that due to clearings over the past decade, there has been a rise in groundwater in the Vyatka River, shallowing of small rivers, and waterlogging of soils. According to one of the respondents from the region, the situation in Vernekamsky, Luzsky, Nagorsky and Luninsky districts of the region is especially unfavorable in this respect.

A separate problem is the untimely removal of wood, as well as the garbage that remains after cutting down. In the context of illegal logging clutter problem forests are especially acute: lumberjacks everywhere leave part of the cut wood. According to experts, when pirate logging occurs, sawn wood is often selected, and everything else is not disposed of, but simply remains in the forest and litters it. Then it dries up and provokes fires and air pollution. One of the experts from the Kirov region identified a number of districts in which this problem is most serious: Urzhumsky, Uninsky, Nagorsky, Podosinovsky districts.

As a rule, large tenants, who are running schemes for cutting down and selling forests, do not care at all about the restoration of the forest. It is necessary that these processes be in the same chain, and lack of attention to reforestation creates serious long-term risks.

The experts reported that illegal logging is carried out in particular protective areas forests, for example, along water bodies. Thus, experts from Karelia spoke about deforestation in specially protected areas, mentioning, in particular, the Ladoga region. Some experts believe that "black loggers" tend to cut down forests in protected areas, since the quality of wood there may be higher.

It is also reported about felling of valuable tree species. One of the experts from the Kirov region listed the regions of the region where the damage from deforestation of valuable timber is especially strong: Lebyazhsky, Podosinovsky, Luzsky, Afanasevsky, Shabalinsky, Malmyzhsky, Darovsky, Kilmezsky districts. Another respondent spoke about the felling of valuable tree species in the green zone in the Kirovo-Chepetsky district.

Also, according to one of the respondents from Karelia, residents of the region complain about deforestation along the roads, but in this case it is more often about formally legal deforestation by tenants.

HOW IT WORKS?

First of all, it should be borne in mind that, as already mentioned above, very often one or another role in illegal logging is played by large investors leasing large areas of forest in the region.

Investment projects imply preferential, favorable conditions for the lease of forest plots. Large investment companies actively use this, they even received an informal nickname « forest lords» . After they lease a large plot, they often sublease the plots at inflated prices, without caring about the control and obligations assumed during the lease. A common option that they use is to hire contractors to cut down the forest, and then sell this forest to them or sell it through them. The contractor is hired under one contract, and then the cut wood is sold to him under another. Large investors themselves, as a rule, remain in the shadows, all negotiations and relations with the forest rangers are built by the subtenant.

For the functioning of the industries created according to the investment project, part of the felled forest is still used for these industries (according to the expert, the subtenant is given a list in advance of what they must deliver to the sites of investment enterprises). The rest of the forest is sold to the side.

According to one of the experts from the Kirov region, « only a third[of the large investors who have received plots on lease for investment projects] legally fulfill their obligations, two-thirds resell the forest to black businessmen. They cut them down and sell them through their own channels.” . Another expert gives a more pessimistic assessment, saying that less than 10% of investors fulfill their obligations.

One of the interviewees cited the situation that took place in the Kirov region as an example. A large investor leased large areas of forest for the implementation of a dozen investment projects that involved the creation of wood processing enterprises and the provision of jobs for the inhabitants of the region. However, less than half of the projects were actually implemented. Most of the projects remained "on paper". According to the expert, the main activity of the investor was the sublease of forests at an inflated price, without holding auctions. In fact, the region lost good forest plots, without getting the effect from the implementation of the originally prescribed projects, and the investment company received super profits.

involved in illegal logging and forestries who have formal logging rights for their needs and sanitation and often use these rights to cut down trees for sale, but they need to organize additional removal and marketing. Also often agricultural enterprises who have forest plots and must use them for their economic needs, instead additionally trade in timber.

It has also been noted above that often tenants move out of the allotted area. For example, one of the experts gave an example when an entrepreneur received official permission for deforestation next to the buffer zone, however, he deliberately outlined the scope of work for the lumberjacks wider than allowed, and part of the forest was cut down in the buffer zone.

A respondent from Karelia spoke about another scheme: buying up benefits, allowing you to get wood for construction. Buyers of benefits get the opportunity to cut down one large piece of forest. Beneficiaries, after such a deal, are in fact deprived of the opportunity to build a house or a summer residence.

An expert from Karelia says that in the border area the practice of exporting cut wood abroad on timber trucks at night and that there are special corridors. Often documents for export are issued in this case to joint ventures. Experts also say that cars usually drive in front of the timber truck, checking the path and making sure that they will not meet law enforcement officers.

Finally, for small-scale logging, individual citizens are often hired through informal channels to poach. Experts say that it is they who are most often caught, punished, and it is due to them that the percentage of crimes solved in reporting is increased.

Forestries may also be subject to sanctions, but, according to some interviewees, in this case “Catch those who didn’t share” . According to experts, the most dangerous and practically unpunished chain in practice is connected with large companies.

Part of the cut wood is taken out by round timber, the other part goes to processing at sawmills. Wood processing is carried out on a much smaller scale, preferring to sell round timber. A respondent from the Kirov region reported that the existing wood processing enterprises mainly work with old equipment, in order to upgrade them, huge funds are needed, which only « forest lords» who, in turn, are not interested in such investments as long as they have the opportunity to make large profits in an easier way.

Experts admit that the enterprises created by the "forest lords" as part of the implementation of investment projects on benefits are not capable of generating any comparable profits. Therefore, companies choose illegal logging, tax evasion and export of timber to markets.

Experts give different estimates of the rates of return from legal and illegal logging, most estimate the difference between them at least 2.5–3 times.

The forest comes true to other regions and abroad: for example, experts from the Kirov region talk about deliveries to Tatarstan and large deliveries to China. It is noteworthy that one of the experts notes that in official reports, the volume of wood supplies to China from the region is underestimated, in reality more is exported there. He also mentioned that many Chinese are employed in the region's logging operations.

WHO IS PARTICIPATED IN THE SCHEMES AND WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE AUTHORITIES?

According to experts, a variety of actors are involved in illegal logging: large companies, local tenants, forestries. are often involved in felling locals, many of whom are unemployed (for example, in Karelia, the unemployment rate according to Rosstat as of January 2017 is significantly higher than in the whole of the Russian Federation, and the highest among the regions of the North-West Federal District in particular - 9%, in the whole of the Russian Federation - 5.4%, as a whole in the NWFD - 4.3%).

Poaching felling on a relatively small scale is a phenomenon of a separate order. Thus, a respondent from the Kirov region spoke about the situation with small-scale poaching in the region. Unemployment is high in the forest areas, many leave the region to work on a rotational basis, while others try to earn money by illegal logging. People unite in small groups, often draw up IP for one person, set up small sawmills and cut down forests by poaching. The expert points out that recent times they began to restore order: for example, on the border with Tatarstan, where the export of round timber in large quantities used to flourish, they established strict control, posts, and poaching cutting down in these places is carried out on a much smaller scale than one or two years ago.

Directly illegal logging is most often engaged in local entrepreneurs. Newcomers are drawn into the schemes through connections with local entrepreneurs; Often visitors are returning locals. On a large scale, fellings are usually carried out by those who have a forestry education or extensive experience in this area. Respondents from Karelia also indicate that entrepreneurs from St. Petersburg actively participate in this activity in their region.

Most experts agree: without the support of the authorities, or at least individual representatives of the authorities more or less large-scale illegal logging operations would be impossible. Experts point out that big business necessarily strives to enlist the support of the authorities. In some cases, representatives of the authorities may act initiators or active participants in the process. In the Kirov region, respondents mentioned that representatives of authorities at the regional government level could be involved in the schemes (we were talking about former members of the regional government). However, according to experts, even if the representatives of the authorities are not actively involved in specific schemes, they are at least systematically turn a blind eye to them, the principle of mutual responsibility often works.

In general, the experts refer to concrete experience confirming the connection of illegal logging entrepreneurs with the authorities:

“There was a case in the Urzhum district, when, at the signal of local residents, the police left, established a large-scale theft of the forest, they even transferred it to the court, but then everything stopped. It turned out that the locals cut wood for an entrepreneur from another region, and he sold the wood to Tatarstan. The fact of theft and the amount of loss in millions were established, but no one was punished. (respondent from the Kirov region);

“Everyone understands perfectly. in the municipalities there is this felling - what, they don't see it? But there are documents, a call from above: do not touch, do not go there, we all know. And that's all. And the topic is closed (respondent from Karelia);

“There are documents that evade the cutters from punishment. They catch small fry, which sometimes cuts without documents, hoping for a chance " (respondent from the Kirov region);

"Per last year about two hundred criminal cases were opened, but only in a third of these cases were illegal cutters punished, again among them were not the main organizers, but intermediaries. Is this possible without the support of the authorities? (respondent from the Kirov region).

FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL FELLING

The fight against illegal logging has a long history - since the 1990s, the legal framework has gradually been formed, technical methods have been improved. Today, even space technologies are used to identify violators - images of the territory from space are taken.

However, experts point out that the fight is mostly point-to-point: law enforcement agencies respond to a specific report of violations received from citizens, conduct a verification raid, and punish violators.

For example, a representative of the Ministry of Nature Management and Ecology of the Republic of Karelia emphasized the importance of the following methods: patrolling the territory by foresters, prompt response to messages from citizens on the direct line of forest protection in the region; he, in particular, spoke about the successes in the fight against illegal logging in the Ladoga region. The representative of one of the republic's forestries also focuses on such measures as patrols, constant raids together with the police.

At the same time, as mentioned above, such measures are usually aimed solely at combating small-scale poaching rather than the much larger logging operations involving medium and large entrepreneurs, which are a much more serious problem that requires systemic measures.

If we turn to the statistics on the consideration of cases under Art. 260 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Illegal logging of forest plantations" in the court of first instance in Russia as a whole, we will see that, for example, for the period 2011-2014. the number of cases has increased:

But even if the statistics on catching "black loggers" shows an increase in indicators, you need to understand that this is happening mainly due to individual petty violators. According to experts, it is precisely such actions that receive complaints to law enforcement agencies in a straight line, and if they know about the big businessmen of the market, citizens are silent.

Experts from the Kirov region spoke about attempts by the new regional authorities to apply systemic measures to combat illegal logging. According to those interviewed, a course was taken to control the system of distribution of forest resources and to lease land only through an auction. The work of exchange electronic trading platforms was organized; in exchange trading in the timber market, the Kirov region became a leader among the regions of Russia. After the introduction of auctions, the price per cubic meter of timber rose significantly at auction, which greatly reduced the chances of entrepreneurs to successfully implement popular schemes for reselling timber. There was also an example of the seizure of a plot from an investor-tenant who was engaged in dishonest activities as part of the implementation of an investment project. According to experts, all these steps have been taken in the right direction, but so far they are not enough. In addition, there was a problem of resistance to the new policy of regulation of the issue by local authorities in the regions of the region.

WHAT TO DO?

- The root of the problem is corruption. It is impossible to solve the problem with targeted measures and the capture of petty violators or perpetrators who are at the very bottom of the “hierarchy”. Now the system actually works to prosecute small poachers while creating favorable conditions for turning various schemes for mass cutting and selling forests by large entrepreneurs.

Moreover, illegal deforestation schemes often directly involve those who are called upon to combat this phenomenon - forestries, law enforcement agencies. Large-scale systemic changes are needed, which cannot be implemented without political will at different levels of government.

- Necessaryput under real control the work of large investment companies. Failure to comply with the terms of the contract should entail the deprivation of all benefits received under it. The existing system of encouragement of investment projects in practice serves not the tasks of development, but the plunder of the forest resources of the regions. Now the access of large companies to the forest is practically unlimited. Consideration should be given to raising timber tariffs for these companies and selling only through auctions.

- In the same time small and medium-sized enterprises need benefits (primarily tax), under which it will be more profitable for them to work legally, and not go into the shadows. Reasonably structured incentives for such enterprises could provide an incentive to stop participating in illegal schemes.

- Authorities at all levels should be interested in establishing independent control over the industry. Everything should be monitored and recorded in open sources: from work on plots to timber sales transactions, and, first of all, the activities of large companies should be taken under control. All information should be as ordered, accessible and transparent as possible.

The involvement of a large number of people in illegal logging is a consequence of the negative socio-economic situation in the regions, low incomes of the population and, most importantly, high unemployment. Targeted persecution and punishment of individual violators basically only lead to the fact that people are looking for new ways to circumvent the law and law enforcement agencies. It is necessary to create jobs, develop infrastructure, work to improve the living standards of the population, give the territories the opportunity to develop, stimulate them to make it profitable for them to earn taxes and put things in order. Only such measures, which affect the socio-economic environment as a whole, can radically change the situation with small-scale poaching.

- The Russian economy needs to shift its focus from resource extraction to manufacturing. For the forest industry, this is an extremely important task. Thus, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 2014, in the structure of Russian exports of wood and wood products, 69% were sawn timber and unprocessed timber, and wood joinery - only 2%.

Now the flow of timber export from the country has been established, and a significant part of the forest is being cut down barbarously, chaotically and illegally. Thus, the country does not just sell Natural resources abroad - it also receives less of a significant part of the income from these sales, the timber is simply stolen, and with the active participation of the state. The first priority is the fight against illegal logging. However, in strategic terms, an equally important task is the transition from the export of raw materials abroad to the processing of wood within the country. It can be done only by the forces of state incentives, since at present there are no conditions on the market under which it would be profitable for entrepreneurs to massively invest in the retraining of enterprises.

NOTES

According to the World's Richest Countries portal.

See G. P. Panichev. Strategy for the development of the forest complex for the long term. Forest Bulletin 4/2013.

According to the portal Gcourts, which accumulates data on court decisions in the Russian Federation.

One of the most important sectors of the Russian economy is the logging industry. Russia is one of the largest producers and exporters of wood - the fifth place in the world, the second place in Europe.

According to UN statistics, half of the territory of our country is covered with forests, and the total forest area of ​​Russia (851 million hectares) is one fifth of the forest area of ​​the planet Earth. Two thirds of these forests are suitable for use in the forest industry.

However, despite the huge resource potential, the efficiency of the Russian timber industry is extremely low. According to the representative of the Union of Timber Manufacturers and Exporters of Russia, the Russian timber industry is characterized by a low technical level of production, a technological lag behind world trends, low profitability and unstable financial position of industry enterprises, poorly developed road and industrial infrastructure, and a low level of forestry engineering. Therefore, according to experts, the timber industry in Russia is low-income - the producer's income from one cubic meter of wood is several times less than the average on the international logging market.

A separate serious problem for the Russian timber industry is illegal logging and the subsequent sale of illegally harvested timber (""). According to the World Wildlife Fund of Russia and the World Bank, up to 20% of timber harvested in the Russian Federation is of illegal origin. Then it turns out that the volume of illegal timber products in our country in 2015 amounted to 40-50 million cubic meters. meters of wood, since in total 206 million cubic meters were harvested that year. meters.

- Authorities at all levels should be interested in establishing independent control over the industry(""). Everything should be monitored and recorded in open sources: from work on plots to timber sales transactions, and, first of all, the activities of large companies should be taken under control. All information should be as ordered, accessible and transparent as possible.

The involvement of a large number of people in illegal logging is a consequence of the negative socio-economic situation in the regions, low incomes of the population and, most importantly, high unemployment. Targeted persecution and punishment of individual violators basically only lead to the fact that people are looking for new ways to circumvent the law and law enforcement agencies. It is necessary to create jobs, develop infrastructure, work to improve the living standards of the population, give the territories the opportunity to develop, stimulate them to make it profitable for them to pay taxes and put things in order. Only such measures, which affect the socio-economic environment as a whole, can radically change the situation with small-scale poaching.

- The Russian economy needs to shift its focus from resource extraction to manufacturing. For the forest industry, this is an extremely important task. So, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 2014, in the structure of Russian exports of wood and wood products, 69% were sawn timber and raw timber, and wood joinery - only 2% ("").

To sum up, now the flow of timber export from the country has been established, and a significant part of the forest is cut down barbarously, chaotically and illegally. Thus, the country does not just sell natural resources abroad - it also loses a significant part of the income from these sales, the timber is simply stolen. The first priority is to combat illegal logging. However, in the strategic plan, an equally important task is the transition from the export of raw materials abroad to the processing of wood within the country. It can be done only by the forces of state incentives, since at present there are no conditions on the market under which it would be profitable for entrepreneurs to massively invest in the retraining of enterprises.

Scientists have long been talking about the harmful effects of technological progress on nature. Climate change, ice melt, declining quality drinking water very negative impact on people's lives. Ecologists around the world have long sounded the alarm about pollution and the destruction of nature. One of the most important is deforestation. Forest problems are visible especially in civilized states. Environmentalists believe that deforestation leads to many negative consequences for the Earth and humans. Without forests, there will be no life on Earth, this must be understood by those on whom their preservation depends. However, wood has long been a commodity that is expensive. And that is why the problem of deforestation is solved with such difficulty. Perhaps people just do not think that their whole life depends on this ecosystem. Although since ancient times everyone has revered the forest, giving it often magical functions. He was the breadwinner and personified the life-giving force of nature. He was loved, the trees were treated with care, and they responded to our ancestors in the same way.

Forests of the planet

In all countries, in every corner of the world, massive deforestation is taking place. The problems of the forest are that with the destruction of trees, many more species of plants and animals die. broken in nature. After all, the forest is not only trees. This is a well-coordinated ecosystem based on the interaction of many representatives of flora and fauna. In addition to trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, lichens, insects, animals and even microorganisms are of great importance in its existence. Despite massive deforestation, forests still occupy about 30% of the land area. This is more than 4 billion hectares of land. More than half of them are tropical forests. However, the northern ones, especially coniferous massifs, also play a great role in the ecology of the planet. The greenest countries in the world are Finland and Canada. In Russia, there are about 25% of the world's forest reserves. The least number of trees left in Europe. Now forests occupy only a third of its territory, although in ancient times it was completely covered with trees. And, for example, in England there are almost none left, only 6% of the land is given over to parks and forest plantations.

Rainforests

They occupy more than half of the entire territory of green spaces. Scientists have calculated that about 80% of animal species live there, which, without the usual ecosystem, can die. However, cutting rainforest is now moving at an accelerated pace. In some regions, such as West Africa or Madagascar, about 90% of the forest has already disappeared. A catastrophic situation has also developed in the countries of South America, where more than 40% of the trees have been cut down. The problems of tropical forests are not only the business of the countries in which they are located. The destruction of such a huge massif will lead to an ecological catastrophe. After all, it is difficult to assess the role that forests play in the life of mankind. Therefore, scientists around the world are sounding the alarm.

The meaning of the forest

Use of forests for the benefit of people

Green spaces are important for humans not only because they regulate the water cycle and provide everything living oxygen. About a hundred fruit and berry trees and shrubs, as well as nuts, more than 200 species of edible and medicinal herbs and mushrooms grow in the forest. Many animals are hunted there, such as sable, marten, squirrel or black grouse. But most of all, a person needs wood. This is what causes deforestation. The problem with the forest is that without trees, the entire ecosystem dies. So why does a person need wood?

Deforestation

Forest problems arise when this happens uncontrollably, often illegally. After all, forests have been cut down for a long time. And for 10 thousand years of human existence, about two-thirds of all trees have already disappeared from the face of the Earth. Especially a lot began to cut down the forest in the Middle Ages, when everything was required more space for construction and farmland. And now every year about 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed and almost half of them are places where no human has ever set foot before. Why is the forest cut down?

• to make room for construction (after all, the growing population of the Earth needs to build new cities);
• as in ancient times, the forest is cut down with slash-and-burn agriculture, freeing up space for arable land;
• the development of animal husbandry requires more and more space for pastures;
• forests often interfere with the extraction of minerals, so needed by mankind for technological progress;
• and finally, wood is now a very valuable commodity used in many industries.

What kind of forest can be cut down

For a long time, the disappearance of forests has attracted the attention of scientists. Different states are trying to somehow regulate this process. All forest areas were divided into three groups:

Types of deforestation

In most states, forest problems are of concern to many scientists and government officials. Therefore, at the legislative level, felling is limited there. However, the fact is that it is often carried out illegally. And although it is considered poaching and is punishable by heavy fines or imprisonment, mass destruction of forests for profit is on the rise. For example, almost 80% of deforestation in Russia is carried out illegally. Moreover, wood is mainly sold abroad. And what are the official types of felling?

What damage does deforestation cause?

The ecological problem of the disappearance of the so-called "lungs" of the planet is already worrying many. Most people believe that this threatens to reduce oxygen stores. This is true, but this is not the main problem. The extent to which deforestation has now taken on is striking. A satellite photo of the former woodland helps to visualize the situation. What can this lead to:

• the ecosystem of the forest is being destroyed, many representatives of flora and fauna are disappearing;
• the decrease in the amount of wood and the diversity of plants leads to a deterioration in the quality of life of most people;
• an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide, which leads to the formation of greenhouse effect;
• trees cease to protect the soil (washing out of the upper layer leads to the formation of ravines, and the lowering of the groundwater level causes the appearance of deserts);
• soil moisture increases, due to which swamps are formed;
• scientists believe that the disappearance of trees on the slopes of the mountains leads to the rapid melting of glaciers.

According to researchers, deforestation causes damage to the world economy in the amount of up to 5 trillion dollars a year.

How are forests harvested?

How is deforestation done? The photo of the area where the felling has recently taken place is an unsightly view: bare terrain, almost devoid of vegetation, stumps, patches of fires and strips of bare soil. How does it work? The name "cutting down" has been preserved since the time when trees were felled with an axe. Now chainsaws are used for this. After the tree has fallen to the ground, the branches are cut off and burned. The bare trunk is taken away almost immediately. And they move it to the place of transportation by dragging, hitching it to a tractor. Therefore, there remains a strip of bare land with torn vegetation and destroyed undergrowth. Thus, young shoots are destroyed, which could revive the forest. At this place, the ecological balance is completely violated and other conditions for vegetation are created.

What happens after cutting

In open space, completely different conditions are created. Therefore, a new forest grows only where the cutting area is not very large. What prevents young plants from getting stronger:

• The light level changes. Those undergrowth plants that are accustomed to living in the shade die.
• Other temperature regime. Without tree protection, there is a sharper temperature fluctuation, frequent night frosts. This also leads to the death of many plants.
• An increase in soil moisture can lead to waterlogging. And the wind blowing moisture from the leaves of young shoots does not allow them to develop normally.
• The death of the roots and the decomposition of the forest floor release many nitrogenous compounds that enrich the soil. However, those plants that need just such minerals feel better on it. Raspberries or Ivan-tea grow most quickly in clearings, birch or willow shoots develop well. Therefore, recovery deciduous forests goes quickly if a person does not interfere in this process. But coniferous trees after felling, they grow very poorly, since they reproduce by seeds for which there are no normal development conditions. Deforestation has such negative consequences. The solution to the problem - what is it?

Solving deforestation

Ecologists offer many ways to save forests. Here are just a few of them:

• the transition from paper to electronic media, waste paper collection and separate waste collection will reduce the use of wood for paper production;
• creation of forest farms where those with the shortest maturation periods will be grown;
• a ban on felling in nature protection zones and tougher penalties for this;
• raising the state duty on the export of timber abroad to make it unprofitable.

The disappearance of forests does not bother yet ordinary person. However, many problems are associated with this. When all people understand that it is forests that provide them with a normal existence, maybe they will treat trees more carefully. Each person can contribute to the revival of the planet's forests by planting at least one tree.

Forests play a very important role in the life of our planet. Without them, life would be almost impossible. But what exactly are the functions of green arrays? What happens if the forests die?

Plot for Hollywood

A happy American family living in a small cozy house with a garden somewhere near the east coast of the United States suddenly finds that it has become unusually hot during the day and unusually cold at night.

The garden is slowly being invaded by ever-increasing hordes of insects.

Finally, one morning, with clear skies and warm weather, the nearest river suddenly overflows its banks, and soon the entire area is flooded with water.

Fortunately, the complete sudden disappearance of forests does not threaten us, but extremely unfavorable phenomena, up to catastrophic ones, will occur even if a small part of them die. And the process has already started. To understand what is happening, we must remember what is the role of the forest in the Earth's ecosystem.

hungry years

Deforestation occurs both naturally and as a result of economic activity person. For Russia, this problem is not yet very relevant - our forests have a greater potential for restoration than, say, tropical ones, therefore, in place of the reduced massifs, if you do not build up and plow up the bare areas, new ones most often grow.

The plowing and development of forests in Russia is now also not the most widespread phenomenon, although the threat of cutting down a significant amount of natural plantations for the purpose of development has become more tangible in recent years "thanks" to the new forest legislation.

What happened before? Historians are well aware of the fact that in 1891 an unprecedented famine broke out in Russia, literally shaking the empire. The reason was a crop failure caused by a severe drought, which primarily affected the forest-steppe and steppe regions. And during the 19th century there were many such hungry years in our country. Nevertheless, it was the famine of 1891 that served as the impetus for events in the most diverse spheres of public life.

The catastrophe of 1891 confronted the Russian government with the need to find out what were the causes of these phenomena. The answer given by the young talented geologist V.V. Dokuchaev was revolutionary for those times: destructive droughts occur as a result of environmental degradation of territories caused by deforestation and ecologically dangerous methods agriculture. The same opinion was shared by the largest climatologist of that time A.I. Voeikov.

As a result, there was a familiar to almost everyone forest belt system in the sparsely forested regions of Russia. Unfortunately, in some regions there are still not enough of them, and in the forest zone there are many open unused places where forests once grew. They should be planted again.

Regulation of temperature and hydrological regimes

Back in the 20s of the last century, L.S. Berg remarked:

“A lot has been written on the question of the influence of forests on climate ... Undoubtedly, vast forests should also have a certain effect on the temperature of the surrounding areas ... just as the forest affects the precipitation that has already fallen. Inside the forest itself, the amount of rain that reaches the soil is less than in the field, because a significant part of the precipitation remains on the leaves, branches and trunks, and also evaporates. According to observations in Austria, in a dense spruce forest only 61% of precipitation reaches the soil, in a beech forest 65%. Observations in the Buzuluk pine forest of the Samara province showed that 77% of all precipitation reaches the soil ... The value of the forest for the course of snow melting is enormous. Its action is threefold: firstly, the forest prevents the blowing of snow and thus is the custodian of its reserves; then, by shading the soil, the trees prevent the snow from melting quickly. Secondly, by delaying the movement of air, the forest slows down the exchange of air over the snow. And the latest observations show that snow melts not so much as a result of absorption of the radiant energy of the sun, but due to contact with significant masses of warm air rushing over the snow. Keeping the snow cover for a long time, the forest regulates the flow of water in the rivers in spring and early summer. Of particular importance is the forest in countries with long and snowy winters, for example, in Russia.”

Thus, already at the beginning of the 20th century, the most important role of the green massif as a regulator of temperature and hydrological regimes was well known.

The forest significantly influences the distribution and accumulation of summer and especially winter precipitation. On the one hand, it maintains the groundwater level, reduces surface water runoff, and on the other hand, it enhances the processes of plant transpiration, condenses more water vapor, which increases the frequency of summer precipitation.

That is, the role of the forest in the water and soil regime of the area is diverse and depends on the species composition of woody plants, their biological features, geographic distribution.

dust storms

The death of forests can cause the strongest erosion processes, which have also been known for a long time and can be talked about for a long time. The same Dokuchaev considered deforestation to be one of the causes of dust storms. And this is how he described one of the cases of a dust storm in Ukraine in 1892:

“Not only was a thin snow cover completely torn off and carried away from the fields, but also loose soil, bare from snow and dry as ash, was thrown up in whirlwinds at 18 degrees below zero. Clouds of dark earthen dust filled the frosty air, obscuring the roads, bringing in the gardens - in some places the trees were brought to a height of 1.5 meters - laid down in shafts and mounds on the streets of the villages and made it very difficult to move along railways: I even had to tear off railway stations from snowdrifts of black dust mixed with snow.

During a dust storm in 1928 in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of Ukraine (where a significant part of the forests had also been destroyed by that time, and the steppes had been plowed up), the wind raised more than 15 million tons of black soil into the air. Chernozem dust was carried by the wind to the west and settled on an area of ​​6 million km2 in the Carpathians, Romania and Poland. The thickness of the chernozem layer in the steppe regions of Ukraine after this storm decreased by 10–15 cm.

Dust storm in southern Australia

History knows many such examples, and they occur in various regions - in the USA, North Africa (where, according to some, forests also once grew on the site of the Sahara), on the Arabian Peninsula, in Central Asia and etc.

biodiversity

By the beginning of our century, the wording in describing the global significance of forests had changed slightly, although the essence remained the same, and new points were added. For example, the concept of "biodiversity" has arisen. "Biological Diversity", according to international convention, “means the variability of living organisms from all sources, including but not limited to terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this concept includes diversity within species, between species, and ecosystem diversity.”

This convention was adopted by the international community in 1992 as a response to the catastrophic reduction of biodiversity on the planet, and above all - in tropical forests.

About 70% of all types of living organisms live in forests. Other estimates put 50 to 90% in tropical rainforests, including 90% of species of our closest relatives, the primates. 50 million species of living beings have no other place to live, except for the rainforest.

Why do we need to conserve biodiversity? There is a purely pragmatic answer to this question. A huge mass of biological species, including small ones (insects, mosses, worms) and especially in tropical forests, has been studied very little or has not yet been described by scientists at all. Genetically, each species is unique, and each of the species may be the carrier of some properties that have not yet been discovered useful for mankind, for example, food or medicinal. Thus, more than 25% of all currently known medicinal products were obtained from tropical plants, for example, a substance such as taxol. And how many of them are not yet known to science and how many can be lost forever along with the species that carry them?

Thus, the extinction of any species can lead to an irreplaceable loss of an important resource. In addition, each species is of interest to science - it can be an important link in the evolutionary chain, and its loss will make it difficult to understand evolutionary patterns. That is, any kind of living organisms is an information resource, perhaps not yet used.

Greenhouse effect

The forest cover of the Earth is its main productive force, the energy base of the biosphere, the connecting link of all its components and the most important factor its sustainability.

It's important to know

The forest is one of the planetary accumulators of living matter, holding a series of chemical elements and water, which actively interacts with the troposphere and determines the level of oxygen and carbon balance. About 90% of all terrestrial phytomass is concentrated in forests and only 10% - in other ecosystems, moss, grass, shrubs. The total leaf surface of the forests of the world is almost 4 times the surface of our entire planet.

Hence the high rates of absorption of solar radiation and carbon dioxide, oxygen release, transpiration, and other processes that affect the formation of the natural environment. When green areas are destroyed over a large area, the biological cycle of a number of chemical elements is accelerated, including carbon, which passes into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. There is a greenhouse effect.

live filter

Forests are able to actively transform chemical and atmospheric pollution, especially gaseous, moreover, coniferous plantations, as well as some types of deciduous trees (lindens, willows, birches) have the greatest oxidizing ability. In addition, the forest has the ability to absorb individual components of industrial pollution.

The quality of drinking water stored in reservoirs largely depends on the forest cover and the condition of the plantings of the catchment area. This is especially important if pesticides and fertilizers are used in large quantities on agricultural land located near water sources. Pollutants dissolved in water can be partially retained by forest soils.

There is a well-known example of the city of New York, in the vicinity of which, in the mid-1990s, the reduction of forest area, building, intensification of agriculture and development road network led to a sharp decline in the quality of drinking water. The city authorities were faced with a choice: build new treatment facilities worth $2–6 billion and spend up to $300 million annually to maintain them, or invest in increasing protective functions forests and other ecosystems of water protection zones. The choice was made in favor of the second option, including for economic reasons. Significant funds were used to buy land along rivers and streams to prevent further development, as well as to pay farmers and forest owners for their use of environmentally responsible management practices in water protection zones. This example demonstrates that good governance forest ecosystems can be significantly more cost-effective than purely technical solutions.

The forests are dying

It would seem that we have more than enough reasons for "the whole world" to stand up for every patch of forest. But the lessons of past centuries and this century have not yet been learned.

Every year, the area of ​​green areas decreases by about 13 million hectares. Now natural plantations occupy only about 30% of the land area, despite the fact that in the past they were distributed over a much larger area. Before there was Agriculture and industrial production, the area of ​​forests was more than 6 billion hectares. Since prehistoric times, the area under forests, on average across all continents, has decreased by about half.

Most of the massifs were cut down to create agricultural land, the other part, smaller, is occupied by rapidly growing settlements, industrial complexes, roads and other infrastructure. Over the past 40 years, forest area per capita has decreased by more than 50%, from 1.2 ha to 0.6 ha per person. Currently, according to the FAO (Food and Agronomy Organization at the United Nations), about 3.7 billion hectares are covered with forest.

European forests have suffered the most from active human activity. In Europe, there are practically no primary (virgin) forests by now. They have been replaced by fields, orchards and artificial forest plantations.

In China, 3/4 of all arrays have been destroyed.

The USA has lost 1/3 of all its forests and 85% of its primary stands. In particular, in the eastern United States, only a tenth of the plantations that existed there in the 16th-17th centuries have survived.

Only in some places (Siberia, Canada) do forests still prevail over treeless spaces, and only here there are still large tracts of relatively untouched northern forests.

What to do?

We have already passed half of the way to the complete destruction of forests. Will we get off it? What to do? The most common answer is to plant forests. Many have heard about the principle "how much you cut down - so much and plant." This is not entirely true.

• It is necessary to plant forests, first of all, in those regions where deforestation processes are intensively going on, and in those places where a forest can grow, but for some reason has disappeared and will not recover on its own in the foreseeable future.
• It is necessary not only to plant trees to replace those that have been cut down, but also to cut them in such a way that the natural potential for reforestation is preserved. Simply put, almost every industrially cleared forest has viable undergrowth - young trees of the same species that make up the forest canopy. And it is required to cut so as not to destroy them and preserve the conditions for their life. This is quite possible with modern technology. Most The best way felling - with the preservation of natural forest dynamics. In this case, the forest generally almost “does not notice” that it is being cut down, and a minimum of measures and costs for reforestation is required. Unfortunately, the experience of such logging both in Russia and in the world is not great.

The answer to many questions is sustainable forest management, without crises, disasters and other shocks.

Sustainable development (as well as sustainable forest management) is a development that meets the vital needs of the present generation of people without depriving future generations of this opportunity.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in its work pays much attention to the implementation of sustainable forest management both in Russia and in the world.

But this is a topic for a separate article. We only note that at present, sustainable forest management is best suited to international systems of voluntary forest certification, which are already quite widespread in Russia.

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In conclusion, let's try to answer the question: what can I personally do to prevent forests from disappearing? And here's what:

1. Save paper.

2. In no case do not allow arson in the forest: first of all, do not set fire to dry grass and do not let others do it; if you find grass burns, either try to eliminate them yourself, or, if this is not possible, call the fire department.

3. Buy products from responsibly managed forests. In Russia, this is, first of all, certified products.

4. And finally, just go to the forest more often to learn to understand and love it more.

We'd better never know what will happen if the forests disappear!

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For reference:

Taxol (Taxol) - an anticancer drug; previously it was obtained only from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, but now they have learned how to get it synthetically; in addition, it can be obtained by biotechnological methods.

Phytomass - the total mass of living matter of all plants.

See: Ponomarenko S.V., Ponomarenko E.V. How can the ecological degradation of Russian landscapes be stopped? M.: SoES, 1994. 24 p.

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Tree names are often very interesting story origin. Often they are formed from the surname or name of a famous person.

Not only the tree itself is symbolic, but also its parts - branches, trunk, roots, shoots. We invite you on an exciting journey into the mythological past of the tree.

The forest is not just a cluster of trees, but a complex ecosystem that combines plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms and affects the climate, the state of drinking water, and the purity of the air.

Millennia ago, a huge part of the Earth's surface was covered with forests. They spread to North America, occupied a significant share of Western Europe. The vast territories of Africa, South America and Asia were dense forests.

But with the growth in the number of people, their active development of land for economic needs, the process of deforestation began.

People take a lot from the forest: building materials, food, medicine, raw materials for the paper industry. Wood, needles and tree bark are raw materials for many industries. chemical industry. About half of the extracted wood goes to fuel needs, and a third goes to construction. A quarter of all medicines used are derived from rainforest plants.

Through photosynthesis, forests give us oxygen to breathe while absorbing carbon dioxide. Trees protect the air from poisonous gases, soot and other pollution, noise. Phytoncides produced by most coniferous plants destroy pathogens.

Forests are habitats for many animals, they are real storehouses of biological diversity. They are involved in creating a microclimate favorable for agricultural plants.

Forest areas protect the soil from erosion processes by preventing surface runoff of precipitation. The forest is like a sponge that first accumulates and then releases water to streams and rivers, regulates the flow of water from the mountains to the plains, and prevents floods. , the forests included in its basin are considered the lungs of the Earth.

Damage to the planet caused by deforestation

Despite the fact that forests are a renewable resource, the rate of their deforestation is too high and is not covered by the rate of reproduction. Millions of hectares of deciduous and coniferous forests.

Tropical forests, which are home to more than 50% of the species that exist on Earth, used to cover 14% of the planet, and now only 6%. India's forested areas have shrunk from 22% to 10% in the last half century. The coniferous forests of the central regions of Russia, the forest massifs in the Far East and Siberia are destroyed, and swamps appear on the site of clearings. Valuable pine and cedar forests are cut down.