The forest is chopped - the code flies

The Duma does not agree to forest private property today in the State Duma should be held by parliamentary hearings on the new version of the Forest Code. It is no accident that after the holidays the work of the parliament begins with this issue. Along with the budget for the next year, which is traditionally considered the main document of the autumn session, the new version of the Forest Code belongs to the most important and most controversial bills of those that the deputies will discuss. The government bill, prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, provoked many complaints of parliamentarians and entrepreneurs since its adoption in the first reading in April last year.

With the help of the Code, the government intended to stop illegal cutting and export of wood (according to expert estimates, illegal cut-off volumes in Russia are 18-28 million cubic meters per year, or 10-15% of the total forest harvesting in the country), reduce losses from forest fires and increase the total economic efficiency of forest use, first of all, by intensifying the processing of wood.

The government recognized that the state is not able to effectively evaluate and control the use of forest. Therefore, it was proposed to transfer part of the forest to private property. The tenant was responsible for the restoration of forest, the construction of forest roads, the compilation and updating of the forest cadastre. It became possible to purchase forest lands exclusively at auctions.

It was these provisions that caused the most objections. According to the chairman of the CCP committee on the development of forestry and forestry, the president of the BOMPROMM RAO Alexander Belyakov, there was a threat of global redistribution of the spheres of influence and property in the Russian forest complex.

The Public Chamber was involved in the assessment of the document, which in its conclusion indicated that "the development of the project of the Forest Code took place in isolation from the public, the introduction of private ownership of the forest is a socially unacceptable and economically unreasonable." Experts of the Public Chamber decided that the offer of the largest rental rate will lead to the fact that average and small businesses will simply be supplanted from this sector of the economy.

But the government seems to be worth it. In any case, a month ago, deputy Vladimir Krupchak said that the option prepared for the second reading still has little in common with the proposals expressed by the deputy working group, the Public Chamber and business representatives.

Obviously, today the hot debates around the bill will resume. But if we take into account that during the preparation of the bill for the second reading, the government demonstrated firmness, it is not worth waiting for serious concessions from the executive branch. This means that the parliament, most likely, will accept the law proposed by the government without cardinal changes. Moreover, the adoption of the document is hopelessly late. In the spring, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting in Syktyvkar that he gives only two months to finalize and amend the forest code. This period has expired in June.

09/03/2006 / Marina Sokolovskaya material published in the "newspaper" No. 158 dated 04.09.2006.