Forestry renters in Russia will be able to purchase rented parcels within 15 years: Ministry of natural resources

Mar 03, 2004. /Lesprom Network/. The new forestry code to be discussed during governmental sessions in March 2004 ‘does not envisage direct forestry privatization’deputy minister of natural resources and head of State forestry service Valeri Roshupkin told at a news conference in RIA Novosti. According to Valeri Roshupkin the draft forestry code will be discussed by the State Duma in April 2004. ‘The new forestry code does not envisage directly the procedure of forestry privatization’ Valeri Roshupkin said. ‘The new law envisages the right to purchase state-owned forestries, which doesn’t mean that if any individual, me for example, wishes to buy half of taiga forests and after filing all the necessary documents and paying the money may become a legal owner of the forestries. We will not allow this’. But within 15 years after the new forestry code comes into force, present forestry renters will be able to purchase rented forestries, in case they were using the forestries in a proper way providing constant reforestation during this period of time’, he stressed. ‘The renter has to prove his right to own forestries by proper operation and forestry usage’ Valeri Roshupkin added. He added that the terms of forestry purchase may be reviewed in the course of the discussion of the bill. Deputy-minister said that the amount of forestries available for purchase by a single renter will correspond the amount of previously rented forestry parcels. ‘Timber felling in any forestry will be done in line with the law, owners are not allowed to devastate nor rented neither owned forestries’. However Valeri Roshupkin did not exclude the possibility that well-off businessmen may afford to purchase a million hectares or more. ‘If the timber merchant is rich enough, why not let him rent and then purchase vast forestries? The other side of the coin is this: any timber merchant buying a tremendous forestry may ruin his business because of the necessity to spend a fortune on reforestation, requiring large amounts of equipment, technical maintenance and other related expenses’ he stressed. ‘Besides, any forestry owner will be obliged to build infrastructure and plant security stripes. Now state institutions are those to monitor forestry management’ he concluded.