TITLE: |
Survey on timber-enterprises operations and the forest export management based
in the village of De Kastri. Study of violation and resources for the inspection
institutions and local activists from the group Nadezhda
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REGION: |
Khabarovskii |
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DISTRICT: |
Ulchskii |
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DATES OF RIDES: |
July 27th - August 3rd 2004 |
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PARTICIPANTS: |
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Summary |
There are a number of timber enterprises working in the village of De Kastri including those
that export round timber, and one company exporting sawn timber. The joint stock company
De Kastri-Les is the main timber enterprise, its director is Mr V.M. Fyodorov.
At present the De Kastri-Les is in crisis and, on some evidence, due to become bankrupt.
As a rule, such a situation encourages the appearance of numerous small-scale timber producers
working mainly illegally or breaking cutting practice rules. Moreover, a company like
De Kastri-Les becomes a legal timber wholesale-exporter.
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Purposes |
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Introduction |
The company has made a significant reduction of its staff and budget within recent years.
At the moment there is only one of four production sectors that provides a relatively
stable timber supply while the other sector reaches only 20% of its capacity production.
The others have been broken up. According to the survey carried out along the routes leading
to the central lower timber landing based at the De Kastri port, the timber delivery frequency
does not exceed one timber truck per hour. There are the Ural trucks which are usually used and
are able to carry more than 20 cubic metres of timber. Thus it's possible to conclude that the
volume of tree felling is rather insignificant for such a large-scale timber enterprise. There
has not been more than 100.000 cubic metres of round timber in the lower timber landing. This fact
indicates that the inventory level is much lower than standard.
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Findings |
Delays in wage payments in the company usually extends to two months. The average salary
is about six thousand rubles, and goes up to 10 thousand rubles - the highest level for drivers
of timber transporters. According to the data of the De Kastri forest management, given by Mr
Valeri Adikin, the allowable cutting area of the JSC De Kastri-Les was worked out in the previous
year at less than 20 %. At the same time the De Kastri-Les remains the most significant exporter
in the village. The services of the company are used by many small-scale forest enterprises such as
the companies like The Nord, The Taiga, The Vostoknefteprodukt,
E.Peryshkov Private Enterprise,
the airline company Vostok, Simonyan Private Enterprise, De Kastri Forest Management,
the Khabarovskv Region Gosspetsmorinspektsiya, and Kleschevich Private Enterprise.
The second most important timber enterprise in the forest industry complex is the JSC "Trading House",
which is headed by the director Mr Laszlo Sverinyak, and is also an independent exporter. Despite
relatively small volumes of harvesting, in the range of 150.000 cubic metres, the enterprise is highly
efficient and ensures the highest salary level among the timber enterprises based in the Khabarovsk Region.
The timber export deliveries from the village of De Kastri are provided under the strict control of the
officers of the boundary control point, Mr Stanislav Ivanov, the Chief, and the Customs house. There
hasn't been any type of timber amendment for smuggling because all the timber has the same uniform quality.
All the necessary document procedures are carried out properly. Customs duties and payments are checked.
All the contacts between the companies and the port (Captain of port is Mr Vladimir Borisov) are built on the
contemporary commercial basis.
The impression after the inspection of the places of timber harvesting, provided by the De Kastri timber
enterprises, is depressing. The loading and depot areas have been damaged by the tread caterpillars.
There are wide runways and trees alongside the driveways damaged by the equipment. There is a huge number
of deserted damaged forests, mountains of felling waste, which are entirely fresh and have been here for
many years. Due to the De Kastri forest management it depends on the SJC De Kastri-Les in many respects,
and because the forest management itself became a timber supplier and exporter, there is no control of the
felling operations and regulations. No one has been punished.
It is entirely the inhabitants of the village who work in the De Kastri timber companies. The problems in
the timber industry causes an out-flow of the labour force to the oil terminal construction project.
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Recommendations |
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This website is part of the project Building capacity in NGOs in the Russian Far East and Siberia to monitor
illegal logging operations and the timber trade.
It has been produced with financial assistance from the European Union.
Its content is the sole responsibility of
Forests Monitor (FM),
which co-ordinated the project, and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
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