The Russian Government intends to certify Russian forests in compliance with international standards, create reliable Timber Tracking Systems for Combatting Illegal Logging as well as develop a Strategy for timber industry development in Russia up to 2020. Investfund is to invest about 1 bln rubles for forest road construction and infrastructure development.

At the same time there is a programme for development of bio-fuel production. For this purpose, old plants are to be reconstructed and about 30 new plants are to be constructed.

Russia is ready to cooperation in the field of wood working. In 2007 timber and sawn timber export made up 8.3 bln USD, of them 4 bln USD – unprocessed wood. Investment volume in wood working reached 2.6 bln USD in 2007.

Russian timber industry in general is open to cooperation with international companies. It can be proved by the rapid investment growth from 38 bln rubles in 2006 to over 47 bln rubles in 2007, i.e. approximately by 1/3. Investment growth in high-technology production can be explained by the following fact: 1 cubic meter of processed wood costs 250 USD, whereas that of round log – only 40 USD.

Currently total wood resources make up over 81.5 bln cubic meters, of them 42 bln cubic meters are harvestable. Annual shoot of wood reaches 920-950 mln cubic meters, of them 186 mln cubic meters are used, whereas 51 mln cubic meters are exported.

Business Support Bureau "Runa" www.runa.info