Ravil Kuzyurov: “For me, as a forester, it is sad to hear about fires”

66% of trees cut down in Tatarstan were compensated with new ones for 35 million rubles

The major task of the project Forest Conservation was the correction of the “curve” of the proportion: “the ratio of the area of reforestation and afforestation to the area of cut and dead forest plantations” in Tatarstan. Now only about 61% of the trees out of the forest resource cut down during the same time are planted in the republic annually. By 2024, the ministry will have to ensure that the number of trees “died” a natural death, the infected and withered, as well as cut commercial and state cleansing, and the number of “newly arrived in the regiment” matched.

This year's goal was to reach 62%. “We are going a little overfulfillment of the indicator,” reported Kuzyurov. The agency announced the achievement of 66% by August 13. According to the minister, the planting area was 2,471 hectares, the forest nursery has grown more than 30 million trees for planting. This year, the federal budget allocated 35,1 million rubles for the restoration of the forest resource of the republic. It is known that in 2020 69% of forest fell is to be planted in Tatarstan, in 2021 — 77%, in 2022 — 83%.

“I can't say that they burn intentionally”

The second indicator with which the ministry of forestry will have to work on the regional project is “damage from forest fires by years”, and in numerical terms it is not expressed, since “it is the result of a natural disaster” and, according to Kuzyurov, belongs to the category of unpredictable natural phenomena. The fact that since 2011 the republic has managed to avoid emergency situations — fires in the forest resource — says in favour of Tatarstan foresters.

Since the beginning of the fire season in the republic, from April 15, with the help of satellite monitoring and the programme ISDM-Rosleskhoz, there have been registered 895 thermal points — the areas, the state of which created the possibility of fires, including in the forest resource areas. The danger was mainly represented by what is known as agricultural lands — mainly in May and June, the minister stressed. However, all cases were suppressed, forest fires in the 2019 season have not been recorded in the region.

“I must say that the fire hazard class this year in the republic ranges from the second to the third. In July, for two weeks, we felt the fourth class of fire hazard, when it was introduced a monitoring, control patrols, which we carry out in the framework of the state assignment,” Kuzyurov added.

Today, in the republic there are 23 fire-chemical stations, which are engaged in the detection of forest fires. By the end of the year, two new stations are to be opened in Nizhnekamsky and Nurlatsky districts. They are purchasing 36 units of specialized forestry and forest fire equipment worth a total of 49 million rubles.

In contrast to calm, in relation to forest fires, Tatarstan, in Krasnoyarsk Krai the Irkutsk Oblast there continue to burn more than 260,000 hectares of forest. Reminding about the acute issue, Ravil Kuzyurov stressed that numerous reports of arson for the purpose of logging the forest as the main cause of fires have no grounds.

“We regret about this phenomenon. For me, as a forester, it is sad to hear every information block about fires, mainly in the Siberian regions of our country. I cannot say that they are burnt intentionally without any concrete evidence. There is a range of complex problems, it I necessary to look at the industry of each region separately from the inside: how the work is built at the level of prevention, how the work is built at the level of equipment, how the work is built at the level of interaction with all executive authorities. It is prematurely to speak about the reasons, special arsons, of course, as far as I am aware, the special commission is working there, big inspections are underway there,” the minister noted. “I think, the decisions will be made following the results of these inspections.”

The oak restoration and the planting of the banks of Kama River

Among other things, national projects provide an opportunity for the regions to come up with their own initiatives by applying for them and receiving funding. The plans of the Tatarstan ministry of forestry for 2020 are impressive: the agency is preparing two projects at once. First — to finally start the long-proposed on growing seedlings of pedunculate oak (common oak).

“The species composition of pedunculate oak grew very well in its time in the forests of the republic, but who remembers the history well, back in 1979 there were very severe frosts — they almost destroyed this species composition of the tree, it was preserved only in the Kaybits forestry. In order to cultivate and increase the scale of planting these trees, we plan, with the support of the federal centre on the basis of the already existing Sabinsky seed centre, where we grow conifers, trees, pines, and birches, to introduce the cultivation of pedunculate oak. We are going to apply for support in the framework of the national project” said the minister.

The second initiative of the ministry of forestry is connected with another federal project of the national project Ecology — Improvement of the Volga River. Last year, Kuzyurov's office came to the federal centre with the proposal to include in the project of its event “Creation of green spaces along the Volga and Kama Rivers”. Last year, the ministry together with the administrations of 13 districts of the republic, which are adjacent to the rivers, were preparing areas for planting, a total of about 1,200 hectares, the minister said. He told that in the Federal Forestry Agency at the moment the decision on possibility of transfer of these lands to the forestry after planting is being considered. This is necessary in order to provide the trees with sufficient care.