Mr Zubkov said, in part:

Today, we have gathered here to sum up the results of our work on forestry in 2009 and to set objectives for the new period.

Last year, the Forest Code of Russia came into full force across the country. It gave new powers to federal executive bodies on forestry and made clear where the regions stand as far as their authority and new tasks are concerned.

Most of the regions exercised their powers well and fulfilled their targets. But some failed to establish a proper liaison between federal and regional executive bodies in this sector. So further effort is needed to put things right.

Great differences in the legal framework and functions performed by regional forestry administrations make forestry management less effective than it should be. Streamlining management is an objective necessity; it will mean better use of our forests, which are our only renewable resource.

By investing its own budgeted money in forestry, the state also expects the regions to contribute on a parity basis. So far, however, the regional share of financing has been only 14% on average. That is no good. We see the same situation in farming. We even met the regions half-way by reducing regional co-financing to 35%.

Today, the Russian regions can derive additional profits from using their forests, but fail to do so. Such profits could be spent on further improvements in forestry and on buying equipment for reforestation and fire-fighting.
With the liberalisation of our approach to forestry, there is some concern about the proper use, protection and replanting of our forests. The state system of monitoring and control needs further improvement.

More adequate measures should be applied to those regions that exercise their powers to little effect. There are proposals to that end, and we will hear them today. We should take a look at who administers the forests, how they administer the forests, and perhaps make some personnel decisions. But it is too soon to act drastically.

Information is essential to forest management. An inventory of forest resources should, therefore, be organised on a new qualitative level. Regional inventories could provide the basis for long-term federal strategic planning for the forest sector, as is provided for by the Development Strategy to 2020.

Central to this process should be an integrated information system for the forestry industry, running all the way up from a forestry unit to the federal executive body, known as e-Russia. These plans must be implemented in full and within a short period of time.

Expected amendments to the Forest Code on forest management will provide the necessary legal foundation and improve the work on forest assessment.

There is a special raft of priority targets concerned with forest legislation. We are to improve the Forest Code and the legal framework for individual regions. This concerns above all lease arrangements, fire protection of forests, state monitoring and control, and seed production.

In conclusion, I would like to wish this meeting success in fufilling its tasks and productive work for the good of forestry in Russia.