Dmitry Patrushev spoke at the National Centre RUSSIA during the summary of forestry work in 2024
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev spoke at a meeting dedicated to the main results of the work of the forestry sector of the Russian Federation in 2024 and the objectives for 2025. It was held on 17 April at the National Centre RUSSIA.
"Russia accounts for one fifth of the world's forest reserves. Thanks to this, our country makes a significant contribution to ensuring global environmental well-being. For several years now, more forests have been appearing in Russia than are lost. This is facilitated by the initiatives implemented by the Federal Forestry Agency, which involves businesses in its work. In 2024, forest restoration exceeded the area of logged and dead trees by one and a half times. We must continue to follow this course. The amount of funding allocated by the government for the development of the forestry sector in 2024 amounted to 64 billion rubles," Dmitry Patrushev reported.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that, following the instruction of the President of Russia, forest users in the Northwestern Federal District were partially exempted from lease payments for 2023, which also provided the necessary support for businesses. Separate measures are also envisaged for wood processors.
"The forest sector is a solid foundation for the corresponding branch of industry and a significant component of the economy in most regions. That is why it is very important that in 2024 the systematic restoration of the sector continued after the introduction of sanctions. The recovery was largely facilitated by previously adopted support measures. As a result of last year, timber harvesting increased by more than 6 million cubic metres. We expect that in 2025 the positive trend will continue and the volume of timber harvesting will exceed 200 million cubic metres," added Dmitry Patrushev.
Since the launch of the national project "Ecology," the total area of new forest plantations has reached almost 8 million hectares. Forest restoration has also become part of the new national project "Environmental Well-being." The government has allocated more than 16 billion rubles for the implementation of relevant activities until 2030.
Special attention at the meeting was given to the fight against forest fires. Dmitry Patrushev stressed the importance of eliminating at least 80% of fires within the first 24 hours after detection in each region. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the key to effective work is to deploy adequate forces and resources to extinguish the fires.
To strengthen interagency coordination, a nationwide headquarters meeting was held in March this year, dedicated to the fire hazard season.
In 2025, the government has allocated nearly 20 billion rubles for combating forest fires, which is significantly higher than last year's level. More than 5 billion of this amount is directed towards the expansion of the regional aviation base system in the most fire-prone regions and the strengthening of their material and technical infrastructure. In January, a new forest fire centre began operating in the Far East. Its work will contribute to a more rapid response to complex fires typical for this district.
Speaking about the strategic directions for the development of the forestry sector, Dmitry Patrushev stated that, in accordance with the instruction of the President of Russia, efforts to improve the efficiency of the forestry industry are ongoing. This primarily concerns issues of decriminalisation and the fight against illegal logging and timber transportation. The Deputy Prime Minister also highlighted the need to improve forest patrolling, including through the introduction of remote methods and unmanned aerial systems. As part of a separate national project, the sector will receive nearly 1,500 drones.
As of 1 January 2025, the Federal Information System of the Forest Sector has been launched. It allows real-time tracking of raw material routes, volumes, and species composition. Dmitry Patrushev emphasized that the legalisation of the forestry sector has significantly increased budget revenues. Last year alone, the amount exceeded 80 billion rubles. According to him, these funds should also be directed back into the sector. For example, nearly 3.5 billion rubles have been allocated this year to increase salaries for industry specialists. In total, 24 billion rubles are planned to be allocated by 2030.
In conclusion, Dmitry Patrushev added that the key objectives of the forest sector are integrated into the relevant strategy, which is being updated this year. As for forestry, he noted the importance of prioritising advanced forest restoration, reducing the area of wildfires, digitalisation, and improving the quality of forest inventory. A separate emphasis should be placed on establishing a fair cost for the use of forest resources.
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