Russian Forestry and Wood Supply Operations Analysis
114
SIBERIAN FEDERAL DISTRICT
TOMSK OBLAST
It has a moderate continental climate, which is cyclic. It is further
characterized by considerable daily and annual temperature amplitudes
and a long winter period. The average annual temperature is -0.6 °C, the
average temperature in July is 18.1 °C, and in January, -19.2 °C.
RESOURCES
The natural resources are quite diversified: timber, peat, China clay, high-
melting clays, glass sands, ilmenite-zircon sands, iron ores, bauxites, brown
coal, and zinc. Occurrences of gold, platinum, titanium, and zirconium
have been found. The oblast is among the ten Russian regions intensely
producing oil and gas.
TRANSPORT
Road, railway, waterway, and air transport are the means of communication
used in Tomsk Oblast. The total length of hard surface roads in the region
is 7,156 km. The length of waterways is 5,195 km. The Ob, Vasyugan, Ket,
Tom, Parabel, Chulym, and Chaya are all navigable.
The length of operational railway is 346 km, the main line being Bely Yar-
Tomsk-Taiga.
Interregional communication is provided by the Tomsk-Yurga (a branch of the M³
Baikal federal highway), Tomsk-Kozhevnikovo-Novosibirsk, and Tomsk-Mariinsk
highways. The North Latitude Highway, now under construction, extends
across the region. By 2015, it will connect Perm, Chusovoy, Kachkanar, Ivdel,
Khanty-Mansiysk, Nefteyugansk, Surgut, Langepas, Megion, Nizhnevartovsk,
Strezhevoy, Kargasok and Tomsk.
Two airports, at Tomsk and Strezhevoy, and 15 airstrips operate in the oblast.
The Bogashevo airport at Tomsk was given international status in 2010.
ECONOMY
According to local experts, the economy of Tomsk Oblast is based on two
strategically important factors, "Two Pillars" -- the considerable raw material
and intellectual resources available in the region. There are six universities
in Tomsk, two of which have "National Research" status.
According to the Tomsk Oblast Government, "the highest proportion in
the gross regional product is that of the (hydrocarbon) mineral production
sector. Manufacturing, transport and communications, trade, agriculture,
and construction come next."
In terms of per capita GRP, the region is one of the three leaders in the
Siberian Federal District; by per capita investment in fixed capital, it is a
leader in the SFD and amongst the ten top regions in Russia.
FOREST RESOURCES
Two forest areas are identified in Tomsk Oblast: West Siberian plain taiga
and West Siberian sub-taiga/forest-steppe. These forest areas differ in their
area and species composition, and also in the productivity of forests, the
intensity of their development, and forest protection and reproduction.
Softwood and small-leaved stands occupy almost equal shares of the forested
area: 53.7 and 46.3%, respectively.
Softwood species dominate in the north of the oblast; to the south, they
are replaced with birch and aspen. According to the Forest Plan of Tomsk
Oblast for 2009-2018 and the long-term target program "Forest management
development in Tomsk Oblast for 2013-2016," pine forest occupies an
area of 5,610,100 ha (29.1% of the forested area); mature and old growth
stands occupy 56.6% of the forested area. The total reserve of pine forest
is estimated at 661.230,000 m³. The total productivity is 118 m³/ha, which
is lower than the productivity of other softwood. The explanation is that
13.5% of pine forest is made up of young stock of age class I and II, and
24.4% is made up of low-quality stands of class V and Va quality, situated
on marshy lands.
Every tenth Siberian cedar in the country is in the Tomsk Oblast; this
particularly valuable species occupies an area of 3.6 million ha. The Siberian
cedar stands occupy nearly 20% of the forested area of the region (3,645,800
ha). They contain 46.5% of the softwood reserve and 26.5% of the total
timber reserve. The mature stand reserve is estimated at 291 m³/ha, and
the average productivity of Siberian cedar stands is 209 m³/ha.
Fir woods grow on 588,000 ha (2.6% of the forested area, about 4% of the
timber reserve). Spruce woods occur as small sites in the valleys and on the
banks of taiga rivers and springs all across the region. Siberian larch stands
are represented by small sites in the northern districts of the oblast, over
a total area of 7,700 ha.
Predominant among the hardwood forests are birch woods, which constitute
the largest forest formation. Their proportion is 36% of the forested area.
Birch timber reserves are about 880 million m³, and if there is a reserve of
seeds, nearly all of the secondary birch woods not affected by wild fires for
more than 10 years are successfully reproduced with dark coniferous species.
Their potential is considered in felling management and general birch forest
management. Aspen stands occupy 9.7% of the forested area (11.3% of the
total reserve). The average productivity of aspen woods is higher than that
of birch groves (179 ha and 126 m³, respectively).
Commercial forests grow on 26,900 ha (94% of the forest lands in Tomsk
Oblast). The total timber reserve in the region is estimated at 2,820,880,000
m³, of which 1616 million m³ is softwood. The total commercial timber
reserve in mature and old growth forests is 1594.2 million m³, of which
648.8 million m3 is softwood and 945.4 million m³ is hardwood. The area
of protective forests is 1,712,000 ha. By overall timber reserves, the oblast
is third among the Siberian Federal District regions, and eighth in the
Russian Federation.
The annual allowable cut in Tomsk Oblast exceeds 41 million cubic meters,
of which 14.9 million m³ is for softwood. Currently, the timber industry
facilities use about 11% of this volume. Over 60 percent of timber harvesting
and haulage is concentrated in three districts, Pervoimaisky, Verkhneketsky
and Asinovsky.
The high average age of the basic forest-forming species shows the availability
of forest stands suitable for harvesting by clear fellings. All told, obsolete
forest survey remains the key problem for forest management in Tomsk
Oblast. Less than one quarter of the region's forests has been surveyed
within the last ten years.
Currently, the main bulk of forest resources of Tomsk Oblast is concentrated in
hard-to-access areas with undeveloped road infrastructure and waterlogged
soils. Therefore, most of the harvesting is done in winter using winter trails.
By 2018, according to the Oblast Government, as a result of forest surveys it is
intended to increase the permitted annual timber harvesting (allowable cut)
by 9.5 million m³, and the actual timber harvesting, by 2.3 million m³ per year.
FORESTRY AND TIMBER SECTOR
So far, the contribution of the forestry and timber sector to the gross regional
product has been rather modest. It accounts for 2.5% in the industrial
output of Tomsk Oblast, and for about 1% in the overall economy of the
oblast (making up 10 percent of Tomsk exports).
About 500 companies are engaged in timber harvesting and processing in
Tomsk Oblast. The main products are sawn timber, millwork, chipboards, MDF,
laminated beams, window and door units, furniture, overlaid plywood and
so on. According to the oblast authorities, primary and secondary timber
processing is actively developing in the region; in the last decade, the
proportion of roundwood shipped without processing was reduced from 50
to 3 percent of the total harvested volume.
Today, the products of the region's FTS are exported to 20 countries of
the former Soviet Union and beyond. The key importers are China and
Uzbekistan. In Russia, the key buyers of the region's timber products are in
the Central and Siberian Federal Districts and in the Far East. The exports
exceed $100 million/year.
According to experts, the timber processing potential of Tomsk Oblast is far
from being realised, which is indicated by the extremely low percentage of
the allowable cut utilization, a mere 11%. The economically accessible forest
resource, according to Oblast authorities' estimates, is currently assessed
at more than 10 million m³/year, while the actual harvesting figures are
slightly over 3 million m³/year.
An increase in timber harvesting is hindered by the deficit of added-value
timber processing capacities, which would enable using wood waste and
hardwood in the industrial process. But this is far from the only reason
- experts believe that extremely negative impacts on timber harvesting
development in Tomsk Oblast come from the low transport accessibility of sites
with quality forest resources; the seasonal nature of harvesting; the gradual
degradation of the road network; unreliable forest survey documentation;
low scopes of forest survey and reclamation activities; illegal felling and
wildfires, which are almost impossible to prevent and suppress under the
conditions of the Siberian taiga.
A "Forest Sector Development Strategy" has been developed in Tomsk Oblast,
under which a large timber industry cluster is to be built in the region for
integrated timber processing on the basis of advanced technologies and
using the region's research and industrial potential. The main focus is on
the production of wood boards and plywood for various purposes. The
investments in the timber industry, according to the strategy developers,
will amount to 40 billion rubles by 2020. By 2020, the timber harvesting
and processing output will increase threefold, to reach 9 million m³. The
timber processing outputs by product type will increase in this period as
follows: for sawn timber, to 1,400,000 m³, and for wood boards (plywood,
chipboards, OSB, MDF), to 2,000,000 m³. It is intended to completely phase
out the export of unprocessed timber out of the oblast.
The region's department for business and economic development maintains
that unlike other sectors of the regional economy where the investment
amounts correspond to the amortization level, FTS demonstrates sustainability
and real investment activity.
Key FTS companies of Tomsk Oblast that have real financial and
operational potential for development
Tomlesdrev LLC: Integrated timber processing company; one of the largest
makers of laminated chipboards in Siberia. Its harvest is 500,000 m³/year.
The annual output is about 300,000 m³ of laminated chipboard which meet
all essential world standards. The company also makes sawn timber and other
timber products. The company's products hold 20 percent of the market in
the regions of Siberia and Far East. The number of personnel is over 2,000.
LPK Partner-Tomsk LLC is a timber processing mill aimed at added-value
processing of raw material. The first stage of the MDF factory was started
up in December 2010, and in 2012, the factory reached its design output
of 264,000 m³ of fiberboard. The company has its own timber harvesting
unit. The number of personnel is about 500.
Current status of the forest fund
of the Tomsk Oblast and its changing within
the last five years
Indicators
As of
As of
01.01.2010 01.01.2014
Difference over the
five-year period
of forest resource
record
+
Total area of the forest
resources, ha
28,604
28,820.1
216.1
Forested
19,242.2
19,392.3
150.1
of which, is predominantly:
softwood species
hardwood
Total timber reserve,
millions of m³
10,311.8
8,862.2
10,334.1
8,987.6
22.3
125.4
2,852.31
2,861.37
9.06
of the total reserve, stands with a predominance of:
softwood species
1,606.73 1,604.53
hardwood
1,244.66
1,255.54
-2.2
10.88
Source: Forestry department of the Tomsk Oblast
AVIC International Holding Corporation (China) The subsidiaries of this
company operating in Tomsk Oblast (Roskitinvest JSC and Henda-Sibir LLC),
under a Russo-Chinese intergovernmental agreement, are implementing the
investment project "Setting up a timber industrial park in Asino." The industrial
park under construction is Russia's largest joint intergovernmental project. The
number of personnel is 1200. The main bulk of the personnel (about 1000)
are residents of Asinovsky District and neighboring districts of the oblast.
The Chinese investor is setting up 10 timber processing mills in Asinovsky
District. The opening of the first stage of veneer production with a 100,000
m³ output is scheduled for February. The construction and assembly are
nearing completion at the sawmill for an annual output of 220,000 m³. The
construction of other sites is ongoing, as well as of a 48 MW thermal energy
center, which will use wood waste and natural gas as fuel. The construction
of an employee dormitory for 400 beds and a workers' settlement for 3,000
families has been started.
Over 13 billion rubles was invested in the construction of the industrial
complex, and the total investment will amount to 30 billion rubles up to
2022. 1,800 project staff employees (of which 200 are foreign citizens) and
500 employees of construction contractors are engaged in the construction
of the timber complex.
Mariya ALEKSEYEVA, Oleg PRUDNIKOV
Tomsk Oblast government authorities responsible
for timber industry regulation
Governor of the Tomsk Oblast
Zhvachkin Sergei Anatolievich
Russian Federation, 634050, Tomsk Oblast, Tomsk, ul. Lenina, 6
Tel. +7 (3822) 510-505, fax +7 (3822) 510-730
[email protected], www.gubernator.tomsk.ru
Deputy Governor of the Agro-Industrial Policy and Nature
Management of the Tomsk Oblast
Knorr Andrey Filippovich
Russian Federation, 634050, Tomsk Oblast, Tomsk, ul. Lenina, 6
Tel. +7 (3822) 510-430, fax +7 (3822) 510-714
[email protected], www.tomsk.gov.ru
Forestry department of the Tomsk Oblast
Chief Zabolotskiy Vladimir Il'ich
Russian Federation, 634041, Tomsk Oblast, Tomsk, prospekt Kirova, 41
Tel.: +7 (3822) 55-72-98, 55-97-44, fax +7 (3822) 90-07-98
[email protected], www.tomskles.ru
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection
of the Tomsk Oblast
Chief Tarasov Igor' Gennadievich
Russian Federation, 634041, Tomsk Oblast, Tomsk, prospekt Kirova, 14
Tel. +7 (3822) 90-38-40, fax +7 (3822) 56-36-46
[email protected], www.green.tsu.ru
#6 (2015) RUSSIAN
FORESTRY
RUSSIAN #6 (2015) 115
FORESTRYView entire presentation