Льыоравэтльан - The Federation Council has approved the new Forest Code.

On Friday 24.11the Federation Council on the meeting approved the Forest Code of Russia by the majority of votes. The voting was as follows: 128 senators in favor of the document, 10 – against, 4 – abstaining.

Presenting the document, the head of the committee of the High Chamber on Natural Resources and Environment Protection, Victor Orlov, stated that the new Forest Code conceptually changes the legislative base of forest relations in Russia in comparison with the current one.

”First of all, the Forest Code includes the norm aimed to attract big investments to the forest complex of the country via non-auction giving forest plots for implementation of priority investment projects in the field of forest mastering”, Orlov said.

Moreover, according to the head of the committee, the Forest Code simplifies and makes less bureaucratic forest relations, in particular, tenancy of forest plots, organizing auctions on selling the right of tenancy of forest plots and the right of concluding purchase and sale agreements to satisfy personal needs of individuals – inhabitants of forest regions.

”We can also remark facilitation of the order of giving forest areas for geological studies of minerals and mining operations, construction of transmission facilities, trunk pipelines and other linear objects,” the senator stated.

The Code declares federal property for forest areas of the forest fund lands, he added. At the same time, the order of transmitting forest plots from the category of protective forests to lands of other categories is getting stricter, and the limits for continuous felling in the protective forests are set. “There are also set the rights of individuals for free staying in the forest”, Orlov said.

Source: http://www.vesti.ru/