Villagers in Zabaykalsky Krai Unable to Gather Firewood, Forestry Ministry Explains

A resident of Verkhnyaya Kuenga village in Zabaykalsky Krai said that he cannot gather firewood due to the lack of accessible forest plots. Regional Forestry Minister Valery Shreider confirmed in a conversation with a Chita.Ru correspondent on February 3 that such a problem exists in sparsely forested areas.

According to the resident, initially he could not get a plot allocated for timber harvesting for a long time, and he was not issued a felling permit. After several appeals to deputies, the administration, and the prosecutor«s office, a plot was allocated, but it is in a hard-to-reach location — to get there, as the local says, one can only use large-sized equipment or a helicopter.

He also noted that he sent appeals to the administration and other bodies, including with the help of deputies, but has not received a response yet. According to him, the end of the harvesting season is approaching, which means that not only he but other villagers will be left without firewood.

As explained in a conversation with a Chita.Ru correspondent by regional Forestry Minister Valery Shreider, there are areas where the timber fund is small and cannot cover all the needs of the population.

«Therefore, logging sites are moving farther away each year. That is, every year we try to allocate plots near some settlements for the local population. But, unfortunately, since the forest grows slower than it is cut down, accordingly, near roads and settlements, the timber fund simply physically runs out. And logging sites move away. Especially in those areas where the timber fund is lower than the stated need. That is, we have repeatedly appealed, including to heads, and to citizens, to switch to alternative types of fuel,» Shreider said.

According to him, Sretensky District is among those areas where the distance to logging sites increases every year and sometimes reaches almost 100 kilometers.

«Therefore, these plots, including hard-to-reach ones, before allocating, we always coordinate with the heads of settlements. It is clear that not every resident has the opportunity to reach this logging site, because in any case, when harvesting begins, roads get damaged, that is, high-cross-country equipment is needed for harvesting and everything else. This is an inevitable moment, unfortunately. We cannot select logging sites so that they are near any roads or settlements every year, so that they harvest this logging site behind the garden every year. Such a situation, unfortunately, exists,» the minister added.

He clarified that in fact, providing the population with fuel should be done by local self-government bodies, and the ministry can only provide the available timber fund.

The ministry«s press service clarified that the timber fund for residents» needs has been formed, but year after year the distance to the cutting site increases, and moreover, new forest grows unevenly. They noted that the responsibilities for providing people with fuel, including firewood, officially belong to the local administration, meaning that one should contact their place of residence with this issue. And the ministry has the authority to provide wood growing on state forest plots according to the rules of the Forest Code.