Sustainable forest development: problems and prospects

Russia is the largest forest power in the world, it accounts for a quarter of the world's forest cover.Occupying almost half of the territory of the country, forests provide environmental safety and are one of the most important factors of socio-economic development.In modern conditions, the problems of conservation and use of forests are becoming more complex and require the modification of existing approaches to forest management, which should be implemented on the basis of the principles of sustainable development.State forest policy should be based on the recognition and respect of the rights of citizens to use forest resources and a favorable environment and multi-purpose and sustainable use of forests.The concept of sustainable development presupposes the consideration of economic, social and environmental factors that in the sphere of forest management means increasing the efficiency of the forestry sector, preserving the biosphere role of forests and increasing the level and quality of life of the population associated with forests.Despite the fact that a large number of normative documents in the field of forestry have been adopted in Russia, there are serious inconsistencies in them, as well as a considerable discrepancy between theory and practice.This study is aimed at identifying the main problems of sustainable forest management in Russia and identifying ways to overcome them, including using the experience of European countries.The authors believe that the long-declared approach to forest management based on the principles of sustainable development requires concrete steps both in the area of adjusting forest legislation, and in enhancing the legal awareness of Russian citizens, and their active involvement in the sphere of control over the turnover of forest products.An important factor is the improvement of the quality of life of the local population.