Irkutsk Region intends to focus on timber processing and become a leader in this field in Russia. At an expanded regional government meeting, they discussed measures to increase budget revenue from forest use, converting part of the forests to operational, new lease rules, fighting illegal timber, and attracting investment. Special attention was given to forest infrastructure development and preparing a program to secure federal funding.

Yesterday, at an expanded meeting of the regional government, Igor Esipovsky set the goal of making Irkutsk Oblast a leader in the field of timber processing. Minister of the Forest Complex Leonid Vinichenko presented a number of measures to increase the revenue side of the regional budget from the use of forests.
The forest resources of the Angara region amount to nine billion cubic meters, which is almost one third of the total volume in the Siberian Federal District. But for now, most of the roundwood goes for export.
To increase the revenue side of the regional budget from forest use, the regional Ministry of the Forest Complex has developed the following measures.
First, it is necessary to transfer part of the forests from the reserve category to the operational category. The ministry proposes to do this with forest areas in the forestry districts of the Bodaybinsky, Mamsko-Chuysky, and Katangsky districts.
Second, in the near term it is necessary to consider the possibility of deferring the payment of lease fees for forest use in the portion exceeding the minimum lease payment.
In addition, budget revenues will increase through the transfer of lands of the forest fund to lands of other categories, as well as through the leasing of forest plots for the construction of linear facilities.
Leonid Vinichenko added that the preparation and adoption of the regional law “On the organization of the activities of timber reception and shipment points,” which will provide for a ban on purchasing timber from private individuals, will help increase the regional budget’s revenues. This will make it possible to reduce the volume of sales of illegally harvested timber.
It is also necessary to continue considering applications for the implementation of priority investment projects in the field of forest development. The regional Ministry of the Forest Complex has already received 30 applications for recognition of investment projects as priority ones (the amount of investment exceeds 210 billion rubles). Of these, only two projects have been included by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation in the list of priority ones, and another six applications are under consideration.
The next measure is the development of the regional long-term target program “Development of the Forest Industry Complex of Irkutsk Oblast for 2010-2020.” It will make it possible to attract funds from the federal budget for the development of forest infrastructure. At present, the government of Irkutsk Oblast has begun working with the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation on the economic justification for the construction of forest roads.
The Governor of Irkutsk Oblast, Igor Esipovsky, emphasized that the effective use of forests is one of the priorities of the region’s development strategy being drafted through 2020.
– We are betting on the fact that the Angara region will become a center of timber processing in Russia, – he said.