This was stated on August 3, during the arrival representatives of Forestry Department and Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources in Imereti region. According to them, from now on, they will pay the principle attention to forest protection measures and development of timber processing industry. The President’s representative in the region Temur Shashiashvili thinks, the legislative act is indispensable, which will not prohibit, but reduce wood export to a considerable extant. Wood export is characterized by persistent tendency of increase. However, very often the export is illegal. Only on one checkpoint, for 7 months of this year, the region ecopolice fixed 9,735 cube m illegal wood export, 8,144 cube m of which was an unprocessed wood. An average price of 1 cube m amounts 16 Lari. On the other hand, the local processing industry is in a pickle. Therefore, there is only one modern enterprise in Imereti region (in Sachkhere). In 1998, there were 560 occasions of illegal lumbering, only on 46 were taken criminal proceedings. In 1999, there were 641 occasions. Criminal proceedings were taken only on 61 case. For 7 months of this year, there are 411 occasions and only 42 criminal proceedings are taken. In addition, it should be noted, trees are not often cut over, but they are unrooted, which leads to forests’ total destruction. To this added, considerably increased number of dried forest areas. If deceases were fixed in Bagdati and Kharagauli forests, now they emerged in Zestaponi chinkapin forests too.