Apr 19, 2006. /Lesprom Network/. Sakhalin logging and export volumes decrease every year and make up now two times less than in 2002, was said at the Sakhalin customs meeting named Planning and Organization of Customs Supervision of Lumber Being Exported During Navigation 2006, customs' press secretary reported. Meeting participants noted that many specialists had left their work in forest industry for the sake of high-paid shelf projects. Besides that, quality of logged wood has fallen off because first-rate forest remains only on hard-to-reach logging blocks. Part of firms lease wood lots, but don't log anything. There are also problems with phyto-sanitarian certification that is not required in Japan and Korea. It is necessary to establish a long-term program for forest industry development which would help to solve all these problems. It was decided at the meeting to organize a work group for cooperation of Sakhalin customs, lumber exporters and permanent customs supervision zone owners. This has to be done before May 2006. It is also decided to establish a nonprofit organization that would conduct independent expertise of lumber for customs and foreign-economic activity participants.