Recently, the editorial team at FBRK reported on the felling of trees in the Ridder Pine Forest, which local residents actively opposed.
Activists insisted that under the guise of ‘selective felling’, the forestry enterprise in the Central Forestry District was removing healthy pine forest, which has high economic value.
Our editorial team sent official requests to the Ministry of Ecology and the Akimat of the East Kazakhstan Region to find out the true state of affairs.
The Ministry assured us that the logging operations in the Central Forestry District comply with all regulations, as confirmed by an unscheduled inspection carried out by the territorial inspectorate.
It was also reported that an investigation into the legality of the felling in the pine forest is currently underway, involving specialists from forestry institutions and the director of the Altai branch of LLP ‘KazSRIFHA’.
During the investigation period, the felling of trees is promised to be suspended.
Activist Olga Kaygorodova received a similar response from the Ministry of Ecology, which she reported on her personal Instagram page. However, the Ministry's response addressed to Ms Kaygorodova also included additional details.
Specifically, the Ministry of Ecology reported that during the unscheduled inspection of the felling in block 23, sub-block No. 5 of the Central Forestry District, the inspectorate found violations of forest felling rules.
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For reference: A block in a forestry district is a specific part of the forest territory, set aside for ease of management and accounting of forest resources. Each block is numbered and may include several sub-blocks, which are smaller areas differing by forest type, tree age, and other characteristics.
The identified violations are promised to be rectified, and those responsible will be held administratively liable.
Furthermore, it was reported that timber from the felling site, totalling 254 cubic metres, is intended to be sold to the buyer LLP ‘Ridder DOK’ for 1,153,533 tenge.
Olga Kaygorodova also reported that activists campaigning for the preservation of the pine forest are facing numerous threats, although, as Ms Kaygorodova notes, local residents are exclusively interested in saving the forest, and not in ‘fights’ with representatives of the forestry enterprise.
The Akimat of the East Kazakhstan Region, for its part, redirected our request to the regional Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Regulation.
The department confirmed that ‘selective felling’, rather than ‘sanitary felling’, is being carried out in the pine forest.
‘The mistaken belief that sanitary felling is taking place may have arisen from publications by local residents, who point out that during selective felling, only damaged, dead, and wind-felled trees should be removed, etc.’, the department notes.
The department also reminded that ‘thinning felling’, in this case ‘selective felling’, is a necessary measure, ‘aimed at the intensive expanded reproduction of forest resources and ensuring continuous, sustainable use of the forest’.
And since the felling is taking place in pine plantations, the ban on sanitary felling in fir plantations does not apply to this case.
To recall, the ban on sanitary felling in fir plantations on state forest fund plots in the East Kazakhstan Region was adopted in 2016, with the latest amendments made in 2023. According to the most recent version, the ban on felling in fir plantations does not apply to felling for clearing burnt areas.
The FBRK editorial team continues to monitor the development of the situation in the Ridder Pine Forest.