Fundamental issues of survival face the Russian forest sector. Securing sustainable development of Russian forests and the forest industry while simultaneously nuturing improved socio-economic conditions calls for adopting necessary policies without delay. Russia possesses an impressive percentage of the world's forests. This resource's environmental and commercial importance extends beyond the borders of Russia to the global climate and economy. But during the transition to a market economy, conflicting policies and inadequate controls have led to abuse and exploitation of resources.
Forests are no exception.
Long-term and effective forest management practices and forest sector policies are needed. In summary, inefficient forest management, insufficient forest protection, substantial losses due to human activities, and huge losses of wood during harvests and processing due to inferior practices and technology are major problems that are intensified under present Russian economic conditions. Nonetheless, the potential for the Russian forest sector is huge. Realizing this potential requires revised forest sector policies reflecting emerging environmental and economic values of today and tomorrow. Different stakeholders in the Russian forest sector from various Russian regions will participate in the process to set the stage for policies that enable, promote, and ensure the implementation of sustainable management practices for Russian forest resources.