ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE AND PROSPECTS FOR THE USE OF FOREST RESOURCES IN THE KOMI REPUBLIC IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CRITERIA
Irina Vladimirovna Kharionovskaya
Institute of Socio-Economic and Energy Problems of the North, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Russiа
Keywords: критерии устойчивого развития, лесопользование, лесовосстановление, оценка лесных ресурсов, удельный запас леса, годовой прирост, транспортная доступность, criteria for sustainable development, forest management, reforestation, assessment of forest resources, specific forest stock, annual growth, transport accessibility
Abstract
As recorded by the State Forest Fund, the Komi Republic possesses the most forest resources in the European part of Russia, ranking first among other regions. However, while the official indicators exhibit positive dynamics, timber procuring business points out a decrease in the quality of forest resources regarding their commodity and species compositions, specific stock, properties of wood, and transport accessibility. This trend calls for a more objective assessment of the state and possibilities for improving the regional resource base so that it meets the current needs of forest management, including an assessment of compliance with sustainable development principles and criteria. The subject of this study is the state of forest resources in the Komi Republic. The purpose of our research is to evaluate the state of forest resources and the prospects for their use against the sustainable development criteria in forest management, using the author’s methodology based on national and foreign best practices. The scientific novelty consists in creating a system of indicators adapted to the forestry biological and economic background in the Komi Republic. Such a system should rely on data aggregation, extrapolation, and geosystem analysis as the research methodology. The study identifies the area of forests economically feasible for reforestation, as well as its possible economic effect. Taking into account the average annual stand growth per hectare and transport accessibility, we have divided the forest areas into groups and given each a description of the current state of forestry with prospects for the future. We provide recommendations for each group on forest management and use relevant to their natural and economic features. The results of this study are applicable to shaping the Komi Republic’s forest policy, forecasting in greater detail, and modeling forest use scenarios for districts in the Komi Republic. It may also serve as a methodological basis for the ecological and economic assessment of other heavily forested Russian regions.
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