According to the Russian State Statistics Service, in Jan-April 2009 export volume of timber and pulp and paper products made up 61.2% (in USD) of the analogous index in 2008.

Currently the most capital intensive sector is, however, machinery for timber house construction.

The purpose of the visit is to promote the operating conditions of Finnish companies in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region and to strengthen the investor status of Finnish companies.

Governments of both countries came to an accommodation re. timber trade.

Changes on the outer markets led to suspension of production and shipment at some enterprises, which resulted in considerable reduction of production output.

The export duties on Russian timber products, the implementation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline project are the most complicated issues on the agenda of the meeting.

Sawn timber production decreased by 24.4% (up to 4.3 million cubic meters) compared to QI 2008.

Investment council of the Irkutsk region approved three investment projects and included them in the list of priority projects in the field of forest exploitation.

The Russian Government excluded cancelling of export duties on round log for certain categories of investors from anti-crisis plan.

Head of the Vologda Timber Industry Department, deputy governor Viktor Grachev about timber industry crisis in the Vologda region.