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BROC Report 5

BROC Report 5

Checking monitoring activities of the local group Taiga on designated sites of national park Udege Legend

REGION: Primorsky

DISTRICT: Krasnoarmeiski

DATES OF RIDES: March 7th - 10th, 2003

PARTICIPANTS:

Anatoly Lebedev (BROC)
Artur Romanenko (BROC)
Roman Fadeev (BROC)
Serguei Markov (Forest Inspection)
Fyodor Kronikovski (Taiga)
Andrei Golobokov (State Environmental Inspection)
Elena Golobokova (Environmental Protection Society)

Summary

One of the hot environmental issues for the forest industry in this district is the logging of lime tree for the Chinese market. As a set of interviews demonstrated, this officially restricted species is being harvested and exported to China in ever-increasing volumes. The removal of the lime tree puts the local production of beekeeping and honey production at risk. During the ride some findings indicated corruption in the militia and local forest service. Logging was found to take place on an area proposed and designated to become a national park.

Purpose

We planned to get direct information about corruption from people engaged in illegal operations and officially identify violations in the area of the proposed national park.

Introduction

Fyodor Kronikovsky reported that there are a number of illegal logging sites where Korean pine is harvested close to the town Roschino. The harvest here is said to be ordered and controlled by local militia officers. The demand for lime trees appeared about 1 1/2 years ago, threatening the beekeeping and honey industry. State environmental inspector Andrei Golobokov who works in the district Krasnoarmeiski has received a number of death threats for attempting to clamp down on illegal logging.

There are indications that Korean Pine is being harvested illegally from the restricted pine nuts zone close to the financially depressed tungsten-mining town Vostok. Roschinski lespromkhoz is in the process of planning a modern sawmill in Vostok, and is reportedly trying to get official permission for constructing a logging road through the restricted nut-harvesting zone. Such permission can only be granted by Moscow.

In general, the timber business in the district seems to profit only a few entrepreneurs, local authorities and criminals, leaving little or no benefits for the local population. In order to avoid being detected, illegal loggers reportedly use special noise reducers for their chainsaw making it impossible to hear the chainsaw from a distance of 10 metres or more. In the event that they are caught logging, a common strategy among illegal loggers is to deny that the logs on the site are theirs, and cutting off tiny pieces both from log and stump, which otherwise fit each other, to make any expert identification impossible. Loggers usually announce that they were hired by someone else who is claimed to have all the permits, but whose name is unknown. Under these circumstances the inspector cannot confiscate anything but the timber. Or, if the real boss appears himself, he may say that he gave equipment to those loggers for construction only, and had no idea about the logging.

Cedar logs in Roschino, Photo ©BROC

Findings

Riders confirmed that the demand for lime timber rose in China recently. We concluded that the increased demand was probably caused at least partially by the development of the IKEA industry in Harbin and in Heilountzyan Province. Since this company first came to the Russian Far East and initiated contact with BROC in 1999, its representative openly expressed a high degree of interest in obtaining the largest possible amount of legally harvested lime timber.

We initiated contact with a number of people engaged in illegal logging operations and found that many local citizens are unemployed and feel that participating in the logging is the only way of making money. The local authorities are complicit in pushing individuals to engage in illegal logging through their policies and by favoring certain companies, through their timber purchasing policy and by encouraging revenue that comes from sources that may be illegal. We came to an agreement with some of the individuals engaged in the illegal operations whereby they will provide information on how the illegal system works and how timber beyond the allowable cut comes to enrich some people.

In Roschino during several hours on the evening of March 2nd rangers counted 6 timber trucks with ash, oak, fir and lime, bound for Dalnerechensk. 3 weeks later, on the same road, local activists spent one hour and counted 24 double trucks going to Dalnerechensk. It was estimated that the 24 trucks contained 500 cubic meters of timber. The timber business in Roschino is largely run by Chinese entrepreneurs who live there and have established their own businesses. They also constructed about 8 sawmills in Novopokrovka, several in Roschino and one in Taborovo.

In 2002, in Novopokrovski forest station (lesnichestvo), 570 cubic meters of Korean pine was confiscated; 280 cubic meters (77 trees) was confiscated in one single operation. During 2 months of 2003 140 cubic meters of illegally cut Korean pine was registered at this forest station. On the 120 km from Roschino to Vostok some 15 logging road turns to the forest. Each of the logging roads may facilitate logging operations by up to 5 brigades. Loggers often work on the mountain passes. 13 companies are based in and operating in Vostok, including the largest company Bikin. There are 2 sawmills, one of which is Chinese owned. The main species is Korean pine, since the town is located in the most cedar rich area of Sikhote-Alin. According to local reporters, companies log up to 500 cubic meters on a license officially allowing the cut of only 80 cubic meters. The level of crime is very high, since most operations are conducted illegally and with many violations. Recently there were reports that 4 people were murdered in the forest, although the Chief of the militia in Krasnoarmeiski District, Ivan Piktumov, confirmed only 2 cases, explaining that they were accidents. In the town of Glubinnoye there is only one small size and top level quality lumber facility called Eurostandard. According to the owner, Alexander Sula, they supply lumber to local markets, as well as to China and Moscow. Sula also reported that the Japanese market is currently flooded with timber causing the Chinese prices for ash logs to be higher now (about $320 per cubic meter of 1st sort). In Primorye the wholesale price is $30 maximum. One of the key causes for such price differences is, according to experts, the custom fees which are the same for all the species regardless of the value of consignments. Small lumber facilities can produce 6 doors from 1 cubic meter of ash, which cost more than $100 for each. Eurostandard provides salaries ranging from $100 to $250 per month for lumber workers and even more for loggers. They use mainly Chinese equipment, which is cheaper than other equipment and has a guarantee on maintenance. Sula used to openly purchase illegally logged timber, including Korean pine and lime from thieves.

Timber truck on the road in Sikhote-Alin, Krasnoarmeiski, photo ©BROC

Recommendations

  • Officials and local activists should more actively seek dialogue with illegal loggers.
  • Local activists should more actively monitor the application to build the road through the restricted nut-harvesting zone around Vostok town to help establish a balance between environmental restrictions, and economic and social needs.
  • Officials and activists should work together to estimate added value to the budget from processed wood.
  • Officials should reduce the allowable cut volume in the intact forests.