“Deputy minister of natural resources Valery Roshchupkin recommended us to apply the outcomes of the Pskov Model Forest Project in the forest management practice on the territory of Pskov Oblast. In cooperation with the project we are ready to start work on elaborating region-specific regulations for the whole region,” announced Mikhail Astafurov, deputy head of the Pskov Regional Department of Natural Resources, at the Steering Committee meeting of the Pskov Project held in October 2003.

According to M.Astafurov, this decision has become a logical consequence of the Coordination Council of the Federal Forest Service and National Forest Sector, which earlier that month discussed the experience of forest management certification in the Pskov Model Forest.

The development of regional forest policy on the basis of the Pskov Model Forest experience has presently become a priority issue for the project. Scientific director of the project Boris Romanyuk says, “The fact that the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation supports the idea of introducing our experience of intensive forest management to the whole territory of Pskov Oblast manifests the official recognition of our work, in fact this decision is a breakthrough in the process of creating a favorable investment environment for long-term forest business in Russia.”

	On the model forest territory

Forest specialists from the Komi Republic visited the Pskov Model Forest in June to familiarize themselves with the outcomes of the project in the development of the sustainable forest management model. The group included representatives of the regional non-profit-making foundation «Silver Taiga», Priluzskiy forest management unit and the Cadastre Center of the republic.

The program of the study trip included a tour of the project’s demonstration plots illustrating various methods of rational forest management and indoor presentations featuring the geographical information system, methodology of calculating forest use volume on the basis of forest dynamics forecasts and an innovative system of forest inventories and planning applicable in intensive forest management.

For Przemyslaw Majewski, director of the Silver Taiga Foundation, it was the second visit to Pskov. Summarizing his impressions Mr. Majewski emphasized the idea of cooperation with the Pskov Model Forest in order to unite efforts in initiating and wide dissemination of sustainable forest management practices.

	Estonian colleagues at the thinning compartment

In September and in October two groups from Estonia visited the Pskov Model Forest. Among visitors were representatives of the Ministry of the Environment, the State Forest Management Center, local environmental authorities, forest owners and businessmen. These study tours were initiated by the Estonian Association of Timber Producers. Its director Andres Talijärv considers that both study trips were informative and stimulating. “In Pskov we had a chance to learn about many innovative ideas that help to efficiently cope with economic problems in forest management”, says he. According to A. Talijärv, it has become a good tradition for Estonian specialists to learn about rational forest management from the experience gained in the neighboring countries of Sweden, Finland and Germany. This list has been recently complemented by Northwest Russia where the Pskov Model Forest Project is operating.

MNR deputy minister Valery Roshchupkin at the meeting of the Coordination Council

On September 30 and October 1, 2003, the city of Pskov hosted the Coordination Council of the Federal Forest Service and National Forest Sector. The Council members discussed questions related to independent certification in the Russian Federation and the experience of forest management certification in the Pskov Model Forest.

Among forty participants of the meeting were representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), big forest companies, research institutes, forest inventory enterprises and NGOs. Participating in the meeting were Valery Roshchupkin, deputy minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR); Dmitry Chuiko, director of Ilim Pulp Enterprise; Yevgeny Shvarts, conservation director of WWF RPO; Kristjan Tõnisson, representative of SmartWood certification company and other administrators, businessmen and forest specialists.

	Representatives of the coordination council on the demonstration forest plots of the project

The core issue under discussion was the perspectives for independent forest certification in Russia and its impact on the development of the forest sector. The meeting discussed the objectives and plans of the National Forest Certification Council. MNR deputy minister Valery Roshchupkin said, “Russia needs forest certification. Certification standards will help legalize social, economic and ecological requirements to forest management. Certification will facilitate responsible forest use and obstruct those who come to the forest with a short-lived goal of making fast money ignoring rules and laws.”

On day two the Coordination Council members visited demonstration plots of the Pskov Model Forest where alternative methods of intensive forest management are presented. Forest specialists had an opportunity to compare and discuss standard forest practices and innovative decisions and technologies adapted to local conditions. Sharing his impressions Victor Nefediev, one of the top officials in the ministry, said, “The Ministry of Natural Resources welcomes any positive initiatives and in this respect the outcomes of the Pskov Model Forest deserve an utmost support.” In his opinion, the results of the Pskov project need to be tested in other territories that should be granted the status of research laboratories.

	Kristjan Tonisson (right) awards the FSC certificate to Vladimir Fast, director general of STF-Impex Company

The highlight of the Coordination Council meeting came when Kristjan Tõnisson, on behalf of the FSC accredited certification company SmartWood, officially awarded the FSC certificate to STF-Strug Company. For three years specialists of the Pskov Model Forest Project located in the STF-Strug concession area have been developing a forest management model that meets the requirements of FSC Principles and Criteria. To improve forest practices project experts worked out a system of conservation planning and long-term forest business, updated forest management norms, developed methodology of calculating forest use dynamics and introduced mechanisms of public involvement in forestry decision making. Certification of forest management on the model territory has become a practical outcome of the Pskov Model Forest for sustainable forest management implemented with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Stora Enso Company and WWF Germany. Thus, STF-Strug, a daughter company of Stora Enso, has become number seven in the list of forest companies certified under FSC in Russia.

	WWF supporters in Sebezhsky National Park

A group of WWF supporters visited Pskov Oblast at the end of September. This trip was organized within the framework of a long-term project launched by WWF Russia in 2001. The project aims to establish a network of WWF supporters in Russia. Over 4,000 individuals have joined this program by now.

The goal of the study tour was to learn about the activities of the Pskov Model Forest Project and visit some protected areas in the region. The tour of the model territory gave WWF supporters an idea of how the project deals with major problems facing the forest sector today. An important message emphasized by project specialists was that rational forest management is not only economically viable but also environmentally responsible. On the model territory visitors could see with their own eyes that profit-bound intensive forestry does not conflict with the concept of conserving valuable habitats and rare species. A practical illustration of this approach was demonstrated on the project’s nature trail that serves the purpose of educating forest specialists and community about nature values. An informal meeting with children from the WWF Friends Club became another illustration of the project’s efforts in promoting environmental education.

	Scientific director of the project Boris Romanyuk shares project findings with forest specialists

A series of workshops last summer included a large-scale event held at the initiative of the non-commercial partnership “Union of Forest Entrepreneurs of Leningrad Oblast”. Project specialists in cooperation with the Northwest Forest Inventory Enterprise presented the innovative model of intensive forest management that has been developed and tested for the last three years on the model territory in Pskov Oblast.

Fifty forest entrepreneurs and heads of forest management units attending this workshop were especially interested in the system of conservation planning that provides for the conservation of landscape and biological diversity under the conditions of intensive forestry. Economic components of the Pskov model – GIS-based software, methods of calculating forest use volumes and economically efficient thinning operations – attracted the participants’ attention.

As a follow-up of this workshop was another training seminar requested from the Pskov Project by a big forest company “Russkiy Les” (Russian Forest) operating in Tikhvin District of Leningrad Oblast. Participating were also representatives of the local Leskhoz and some other companies. Sergei Petrov, president of “Russkiy Les”, considers that “the Pskov Model Forest presents innovative forestry practices that fall into line with free marketing economy; not only should this experience be disseminated in Northwest Russia, but it should also be used as a basis in the transition to the new forest legislation.”

In mid October a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Pskov Model Forest took place in Petersburg. Participating in the meeting were representatives of the donor organizations – Sida (Håkan Liljeblad), Stora Enso (Anna-Liisa Myllynen, Olga Rogozina), WWF Germany (Johannes Zahnen), and the Russian partners – the Pskov Regional Department of Natural Resources (Mikhail Astafurov), WWF Russia (Andrei Ptichnikov), Stora Impex Company (Vladimir Fast) and a representative of the World Bank Pilot Project (Sergei Pitovranov).

In the course of three years members of the Steering Committee came together twice a year to discuss how the project was progressing and to work out its strategic guidelines. The last meeting was special in a way: the Committee reviewed results of the Pskov Model Forest Project during the first phase in 2000-2003. The agenda also included discussions of the plan for the interim phase until July 2004 and the project’s further perspectives within the framework of the Russian-Swedish Forest Sector Cooperation Program.

The project’s current priority, as the Steering Committee stated, is the development of the regional forest policy in Pskov Oblast. Other objectives include the support for STF-Strug Company and Strugo-Krasnenskiy Leskhoz in mastering the innovative forest management plan and the development of the strategy for disseminating project outcomes.

	At the training workshop for future FSC auditors

“Pskov Model Forest Project: forest audit in practice” – this was the topic of a training workshop held on 21-24 October in the framework of WWF Russia/IKEA project “Partnership for Responsible Forest Use”. Participating in the workshop were representatives of forest certification centers and forest companies from central and North Russia, Siberia and the Far East. The training aimed at improved consulting services in FSC forest certification to be provided to regional administrations, state forest management units (Leskhozes), and private companies.

The program of the workshop included both, indoor presentations and on-the-ground demonstrations in the Pskov Model Forest area. Elena Kulikova, leader of WWF Russia/IKEA project, says that the purpose of this seminar was to familiarize the participants with positive outcomes of the Pskov Project and discuss possibilities of dissemination in other regions of the country.

The concluding survey of the workshop participants revealed that they were satisfied with the topicality and contents of the training program. Special interest areas were methodology and regulations of forest management in accordance with the landscape approach, economic issues and dissemination of the Pskov project’s ideas. As for the subjects for further discussions, they proposed to address economic aspects of forest management, region-specific forest norms, legal issues in ecology and auditing ethics.

In September, the project’s forest experts were involved in fieldwork collecting data for the system of assessing standing timber. This is a new problem that the project has started to address.

In mid October, the project expert Assiya Zagidullina made a presentation on ecological landscape planning at the Forest Forum that took place in Petersburg.

At the end of October, scientific director of the project Boris Romanyuk gave lectures in the Finnish Research Institute. The lectures covered topics of forest planning and the intensive forest management model developed by the Pskov Model Forest Project.

A. Zamarayeva. VIP Tourism for Those Who Are Interested.
“Sterkh” (Pskov regional newspaper), June 2003.

Y. Borisov. Forest Use in the Future.
“Lesnoy Vesnik” (Leningrad Oblast region-wide newspaper), 23 July 2003.

E. Tyulyulyukin. Pskov Model Forest Shares Experience.
“Rossiyskaya Lesnaya Gazeta” (federal newspaper), 21 October 2003.

Photos by Elena Yablochkina