«Komi Model Forest» project
Pristine Forests and Biodiversity
Main fields of activity
- Creation of a plan for biodiversity conservation for the Priluzje forestry unit;
- Conservation and sustainable management of the pristine forests in the Komi Republic.
Creation of a plan for biodiversity conservation for the Priluzje forestry unit
- development and discussion of the Recommendations on creation and implementation of the plan for biodiversity conservation during the forest harvesting and forestry management, consisting of the following parts:
- forest dynamics: proposals for the forests division into five types of dynamics and a description of these types, as well as recommendations for planning and execution of the fellings with imitation of the natural dynamics, which facilitates biodiversity conservation at all levels including the landscape level;
- ecological framework: proposals regarding the principles of the territory ecological framework formation. Identification of the suggested categories of the key areas and their integration into a single network (an ecological framework) and corresponding limitations in the forest use mode on their territory should provide the ecological balance and biodiversity conservation in the entire region;
- a list of additional information (not reflected in the traditional forest inventory complex) necessary for implementation of these recommendations, as well as data collection recommendations;
- creation of the Priluzje forestry unit landscape map and development of the recommendations on its use in the long-term planning of the forestry and forest harvesting;
- participation in the forest inventory.
Conservation and sustainable management of the pristine forests in the Komi Republic
- acquisition of experience in conservation and sustainable management of the pristine forests in the Priluzje forestry unit;
- participation in the implementation of the Activities on conservation and sustainable management of the pristine forests in the Komi Republic for the years 2001-2008, taking into account the work experience in the Priluzje forestry unit;
- development of the methodological recommendations on determination of the ecological, social and economic value of the large pristine forest massives in the Komi Republic;
- acquisition of experience in conservation and sustainable management of the large pristine forest massives in the Udora region of the Komi Republic.
Main achievements
- Methodological recommendations on determination of the ecological, social and economic value of the large pristine forest massives in the Komi Republic have been developed.
- Proposals for conservation and sustainable management of the large pristine forest massives of the Udora region based on their ecological, social, and economic evaluation have been made. The proposals are on approval of the main forest stakeholders (at all levels – from the regional to the international).
- A landscape map of the Priluzje forestry unit has been created.
- Recommendations on creation and implementation of the plans for biodiversity conservation during the forestry management and forest harvesting have been developed.
- Activities on conservation and sustainable management of the pristine forests in the Komi Republic for the years 2001-2008 are under implementation. By the end of the year 2005 pristine forests inventory has been carried out in 22 forestry units of the Komi Republic, covering the territory of 19,5 million ha. Field determination of the ecological value of the pristine forests have been conducted in three forestry units out of 22 (Priluzje, Letka and Koygorodok).
- Decisions regarding the conservation and sustainable use of the Priluzje forestry unit forests, based on the ecological evaluation of the pristine forests, have been made.
- Recommendations on the final fellings with conservation of the ecological properties of the old-growth (pristine) forest massives located on the territory of the Komi Republic have been elaborated. The Recommendations have been approved by the Head of the State Forestry Service of the Komi Republic Vasiliy Obukhov.
Coordinator of this project field of activity – Yury Pautov
FSC-certification
1. Development of the FSC certification process in the Komi Republic.
Voluntary forest certification is very important for implementation of the sustainable forest management in the Komi Republic as a tool for:
- promotion of the regional enterprises’ forest products to the international markets;
- investments attraction to the forest industry of the region;
- long-term and stable use of the forest resources.
The problems hindering the development of the FCS certification process in the republic are related to the following issues:
- local producers have a limited direct market contacts with the consumers (buyers) of the FSC certified products;
- managers of the enterprises and project companies have a limited knowledge about certification requirements and ways of their implementation.
Objectives
- Dissemination of the information about the FSC certification among the stakeholders.
- Provision of the enterprises and organizations involved in the FSC certification with the consultation services.
- Professional development of the managers and design engineers in the field of FSC certification.
Activities
- Organization of the professional development on the preparation of the enterprises to the FSC certification for the logging enterprises and forest service managers.
- Organization and support of the project bureaus ensuring planning and fulfillment of the FSC certification requirements.
- Development, approbation and promotion of the Komi regional FSC standard project.
- Dissemination of the FSC certification successful experience in the Komi Model forest among the forest stakeholders.
- Cooperation with the forest companies and enterprises on preparation and carrying-out of the FSC certification.
2. Development of the FSC certification process in the Komi Model forest.
- In September – October of 1999 test certification of the forestry and forest use according to the international FSC standards was conducted in the Priluzje forestry unit (Komi Model forest). The certification was performed by the American audit company Rainforest Alliance (Smartwood program). To receive the FSC certificate the Priluzje forestry unit had to fulfill 10 preconditions.
- In the year 2000 the program for the test certification preconditions fulfillment was elaborated. All the forest stakeholders of the Priluzje region and the forest service of the Komi Republic were jointly involved in the preparation for the certification. In 2002 the preconditions fulfillment program was finalized. In March – October of 2002 forest management certification in the Priluzje forestry unit was carried out by the international audit company Rainforest Alliance (SmartWood program).
- In March of 2003 the Priluzje forestry unit received the international FSC certificate for the years 2003-2008 and became the largest certified territory in Russia (800 thousand ha.)
- In June of 2004 the Priluzje forestry unit successfully passed through the regular audit, as a result the company SmartWood confirmed the FSC certificate validity for the next 4 years.
- In 2003 – 2004 the logging enterprises of the Priluzje region “Luzales”, Noshulsky LZK, PE Kustyshev successfully passed through the FSC chain-of-custody certification and gained the right to sell the certified products in the internal and external markets.
3. Main results
- Participation in the establishment of the regional public organization “Working group on the forest certification in the Komi Republic”, November, 1998 – March, 1999.
- Organization and carrying-out of the international research and practice conference “Forest certification and sustainable forest management in the European North of Russia” on the results of the Komi Model forest test certification (145 participants from 8 countries), February, 2000.
- Publishing of the information package of the conference “Forest certification and sustainable forest management in the European North of Russia”, July, 2000.
- Publishing of the book “How to enter the FSC market. Practical guide on voluntary forest certification” jointly with the National certification Working group, October, 2000.
- Development of the Komi regional FSC standard project and its approbation by the Russian and international experts in the Priluzje forestry unit, 1999-2003.
- Harmonization of the Komi regional FSC standard project with the national frame FSC standard project and its preparation for the approval by the FSC, 2003.
- Obtaining of the FSC sustainable forest management certificate by the Priluzje forestry unit (2003), and FSC chain-of-custody certificate by three logging enterprises of the Priluzje region, Komi Republic, 2003-2004.
- Cooperation with the company IKEA on preparation and carrying-out of the certification of OJSC “Kay” in the Kirov region. In the year 2004 OJSC “Kay” received the FSC certificate.
- Cooperation with the largest wood processing company in the region OJSC “Mondi Business Paper – Syktyvkar LPK” and the forest service of the Komi Republic on preparation for the certification in the Koygorodsky and Sysolsky forestry units (1100 thousand ha.), 2003-2005.
- Regular professional development courses on preparation for the FSC certification in the Komi Model forest for the employees of the forestry service, logging enterprises, and Russian forest certification expert auditors, 2000-2005.
Coordinator of this project field of activity – Yury Pautov
Local Population
1. Preparing of the local population to participation in the forests sustainable management. Establishment and development of the mechanisms for public participation.
Main fields of activity:
- Establishment of a system for informing the local population about the sustainable forest management;
- Assistance in the discussion of the issues related to the forest management and use;
- Implementation of the new public participation mechanisms and adaptation of the existing ones.
The system for informing the local population on the forest management issues, established during the project implementation, includes:
- information channels traditional for the region, filled with additional content within the frames of the project
- local newspaper,
- library network,
- exhibition center etc.
- new forms of informing the local population, initiated by the project
- workshops on the forest issues,
- discussion clubs,
- trainings,
- exhibitions, museum expositions on the forest topic,
- project doors open day,
- excursions to the demonstration routes,
- special supplement to the local newspaper.
Mechanisms of public participation in the forest management have been defined and adapted to the local conditions, and at the present moment they are really used in the Model forest. The procedure of the public hearings has been developed and approved by the Council of the Priluzje region. Recommendations for the public hearings conduct have been approved by the Main Directorate of the Natural Resources in the Komi Republic and recommended for use in all forestry units of the republic.
Social Forest Council serving as a connecting link between the administration of the region, forest service (a forestry unit), and local population was established in Priluzje for planning and execution of the activities on informing of the local population and promoting the implementation of the local initiatives (on the recreational forest use, youth career guidance and other issues related to the participation of the population in the forest management)
2. Dissemination of Komi Model forest experience in the involvement of the local population in the forest management
Main fields of activities
- Preparation of the local population of the Pechora and Izhma regions of the Komi Republic to participation in the forest management (workshops on dissemination of the Model forest experience);
- Support for the initiatives of the Pripechorje NGOs on public participation in the sustainable forest management;
- Support for the local initiatives on development of traditional use of natural resources and rural tourism (recreational forest management).
In Pechora region of the Komi Republic the NGO “River Pechora Rescue Committee” together with the local information and education center “Man and nature” organize and conduct the workshops for the local population and forestry units’ employees on the topic “Mechanisms of the local population participation in the environmental management”. Participants of these workshops get acquainted with the experience of the Model forest and the Pripechorje NGOs.
Initiatives of the River Pechora Rescue Committee and NGOs of the Izhma region on conservation and development of the traditional forest exploitation have been supported.
Problem-training workshops on organization of the rural tourism have been conducted in the Izhma and Pechora regions of the Komi Republic. NGOs together with the regions’ administrations have worked out the projects on development of the rural tourism and the first practical steps in this direction are under implementation.
3. Main results
- A procedure of the public hearings has been developed and implemented in the forestry. To involve the population in the active and effective participation in the public hearings address methodological recommendations have been prepared and published as a separate brochure for the participants of the public hearings.
- Social Forest Council made up of the most active representatives of the local population was established and is in operation in Priluzje. Social Forest Council is performing outreach and awareness-raising work on sustainable forest management and promoting development of interaction and cooperation of the population with the forestry unit.
- Supported local initiatives:
- creation of the forest museum in Priluzje (2 museum expositions have been prepared – on the history of forestry and on the history of the forest use);
- recreational forest use (arrangement of the popular resting places among the people on the territory of the Priluzje forestry unit has been started).
- Experience of the project on participation of the local population in the forest management is being disseminated in the Izhma and Pechora regions of the Komi Republic. In the Izhma region the initiative of the local NGOs has been supported and implementation of the municipal program on recreational forest use and rural tourism development has been started.
Coordinator of this field of activity – Valentina Semyashkina
Regional Forest Policy
Regional forest policy defines the strategy of the use, conservation, protection, and reproduction of the forest resources.
The necessity for transition to the sustainable forest management, development of the market relations and environmental sensitivity of the international markets are dictating the need to develop the forest policy of the Komi Republic as a basis for setting the long-term goals, priority tasks, and ways for their implementation.
Goal of the forest policy
- Achieve sustainable forest management in the Komi Republic for conservation of economic, ecological and social value of the forests and for the long-term well-being of the society.
- Ensure economic viability of the forest sector as an important condition of the social and economic development of the Komi Republic.
Objectives
- Integration of the region forest stakeholders for coordination of the principal directions of the regional forest policy
- Development of proposals for the regional forest policy
- Legislative recognition of the main regional forest policy proposals at the republican level
Activities
- Development and approval of Komi Model forest Concept as a basis for determination of the principal directions of the regional forest policy, 1997.
- Preparation of the proposals on the regional forest policy for the Government of the Komi Republic, 2010.
- Development and approval of the activities for conservation and sustainable management of the pristine forests in the Komi Republic for 2001-2008.
- Preparation of the comments and suggestions of Silver Taiga Foundation to the draft of the new Forest Code of the Russian Federation, January – March 2004.
- Development and approval of the draft Concept of sustainable forest management and use in the Komi Republic by the main forest stakeholders, 2004.
- Conduct of the interregional conference “Regional forest policy on the principles of sustainable management” (110 participants from 6 regions), December 9-10, 2004.
Main results
- Initiative working group on the regional forest policy including the main regional forest stakeholders has been formed.
- Draft Concept of the sustainable forest management and use in the Komi Republic, defining the main directions of the regional forest policy for the medium term until the year 2015, has been developed.
- Draft Concept has been supported by the main forest stakeholders in the Komi Republic.
Coordinator of this project field of activity – Yury Pautov