Abstract

Spatial segregation of different forest landscape functions can accommodate rival forestry objectives more comprehensively than integrated approaches. Russia has a unique history of forest zoning separating production and environmental functions. However, the Russian Forest Code of 2006 increased the focus on wood production. We reviewed the history of zoning policy in Russia and assessed if the recent policy change affected logging rates and conservation of riparian forests. Using Russia's Komi Republic as a case study, we specifically assessed (i) if policy change led to increased logging near streams, (ii) if logging rates were different in headwaters vs. main rivers, and (iii) how logging changed among catchments with different accessibility to logging. Using a global open-access remote sensing dataset, we compared mean annual forest loss as a proxy of logging rates in 10 large forested catchments in the Komi Republic in one period with strict zoning policy (2000-2006) and one with moderate zoning policy (2007-2014). Harvesting rate was positively related to the distance from streams. On the other hand, it increased after the policy change in the buffer zone but decreased outside it. Forests were harvested more in headwater buffers than along larger rivers, and harvest in the catchments near industries was higher and increasing; remote catchments had low forest loss. We discuss the opportunity for adopting forest zoning policy in different governance contexts.

Keywords

forest policy change; sustainable forest management; Komi Republic; zoning; spatial planning

Published in

Canadian Journal of Forest Research
2017, Volume: 47, number: 10, pages: 1339-1349

SLU Authors

• Naumov, Vladimir

  • School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Angelstam, Per

  • School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Elbakidze, Marine

  • School for Forest Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2016-0516

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/90111