Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Belarus
    4 February 2012 16:56
       

    FOREST UTILIZATION

    General principles of organization of forest exploitation in Belarus


    Principles of organization of forest exploitation in Belarus are determined by the following normative documents:
     Forest Sector Development Conception till 2015.
     Forestry Sustainable Development Conception till 2015.
     Forestry Development Strategic Plan till 2015.
     National Strategy of Sustainable Socio-Economic Development of Republic of Belarus till 2020.
     Forestry Development Program for 2007-2011.

    Above mentioned documents fix the following objectives of forest exploitation management:
     rational, sound, continuous forest utilization;
     ensuring of relatively constant forest exploitation;
     realization of ecologically oriented forest exploitation.

    For achieving of these objectives the following tasks are accomplished:
     Forest exploitation management according to forest functions: taking into account stand groups and categories.
     Science-based determination of discount cutting area through accomplishment of basic forest regulation.
     Observance of multi-purpose and complex forest exploitation principles, what means rational use not only of timber but also of food and medical resources.
     Guaranteeing of forest regeneration and further reproduction.
     Observance of ecological principles in organization of multi-purpose forest exploitation: preservation of forest habitat and biodiversity, minimization of ground cover damage.
     Gradual optimization of forest species composition according to modern economic needs, conditions of vegetation, economic and ecological requirements.
     Optimization of assortment structure according to economic needs of republic and world timber market.
     Gradual optimization of cutting ages and intervals as technical instrument for production of the most valuable assortments, achieving the highest economic indexes of forest exploitation.
     Use of forest recreation potential.
     
    Putting into practice the principles of the sustainable forest management and utilization the forestry provides not only the permanent forest utilization within the limits of the annual wood increment but also the economic safety of the state, the stability of the functioning of the national economy.
    Forest utilization is the economic basis of the forestry and defines the level of its intensity. It is represented by different kinds of utilization, but wood harvesting prevails.
    Wood harvesting is realized through the final and selective fellings, forest care fellings, selective sanitary fellings and reconstruction fellings. There are carried out renewal and forming (reformation) fellings, sanitary fellings, waste removal, clearance of forest lands for building of pipelines, highways, electric and communication lines and other units.

    Forest Harvesting

       2010 organizations of the Ministry of Forestry harvested in all kinds of felling 8.987 million m3 marketable timber including 2.5 million m3 in final felling, 4.2 million m3 in selective and 2.2 million m3 in other kinds of felling.
       In the home market there were sold 6.1 million m3 of harvested timber including 3.5 million m3 of firewood. 1.7 million m3 wood were exported.
    14.5 million m3 of standing timber were sold 2010 (including 5.9 million m3 of firewood).
    2010 forest enterprises bought 472 units of domestic forest harvesting equipment.
      


     

    REMOVAL OF STORM CONSEQUENCES

    As a result of the adverse weather conditions (strong winds) 2010 in the forest fund of the Ministry of Forestry more than 2.3 million m3 of marketable wood were damaged. The removal of the wind-fallen timber was realized in 76 forest enterprises without outside help as well as with involving of the organizations of “Bellesbumprom” concern, housing and communal services and other. Harvested timber was sold in the home market and abroad. Altogether 5800 people and 1712 units of tractor and multioperation forest harvesting technique were engaged in the removal of damaged wood.

    WOODWORKING

    At present in the branch there function 71 saw-mills. 2010 they processed 1102.3 thousand m3 of wood including 905 thousand m3 of commercial wood. There were produced 403.5 thousand m3 of sawn timber, including 392 thousand m3 of carving wood and 34 thousand m3 of dried timber. The products of the saw-mills are well sold in the home market and abroad.
    With a view to the further modernization and development of wood-working facilities 2010 the forest enterprises realized 39 projects to increase effectiveness of the woodworking shops.
    The main directions of activities were: placing of the new drying complexes or drying chambers, new sawmill equipment for producing of moulded goods, sorting lines for round timber, modernization woodworking shops to complete the set using the existing new equipment, placing of the equipment for regularized round timber production.

    USE OF WOOD FUEL RESOURCES

    2007 the organizations of the Ministry of Forestry started producing of the different kinds of wood fuel. Altogether 2007-2010 there were created 40 facilities for production of the wood fuel chips with the total capacity 700 thousand m3 annually. In the next five years 30 such facilities will be created in the branch. They could produce 1.5 million m3 of the wood fuel chips annually.
    During 2010 the organizations of the Ministry of Forestry stored up 5 310.7 thousand m3 wood fuel (1 412.6 t of standard coal), there were produced 318.2 thousand m3 of wood chips; 8.2 thousand t of pellets and 3.7 thousand t of brickets.

    Ministry of Forestry
    of the Republic of Belarus

    39 Myasnikov str.
    Minsk 220048
    Belarus
    Tel: +375 (17) 2004601
    Fax: +375 (17) 2004497
    Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Belarus