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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Russian Paper Producer to Phase Out Ancient Forest Use

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Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

http://forests.org/ -- Forest Conservation Archives

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12/19/98

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY by EE

A major Russian paper producer will phase out the use of ancient

forest wood in its production in response to their increased awareness

of the threat that Russia's primary forests are facing. Apparently

maps and other information inserted by Greenpeace into the decision

making process had a positive impact and is partially responsible for

the course of action.

g.b.

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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Title: Greenpeace Satellite Mapping Moves the First Major Paper

Producer to Phase Out Ancient Forest Use

Source: Greenpeace

Status: Distribute freely, with proper credit given to source

Date: December 17, 1998

Moscow, 17 December 1998 - A major paper producer in Russia,

Svetogorsk pulp and paper mill announced today that it will phase out

the use of ancient forest wood in it production entirely. Svetogorsk

announcement is first of its kind in the world.

New maps produced by Greenpeace and Biodiversity Conservation Center

showing the decline in ancient forests based on satellite images have

served as a major source of information in establishing this policy.

Greenpeace hailed Svetogorsk announcement as a major step to protect

the ancient forests in Russia.

"80 per cent of the large ancient forest areas are already gone and

most of the remaining areas could be gone in our life time," said

Greenpeace International forest campaign coordinator Christoph Thies.

"The decision of the Svetogorsk mill shows that it is possible to

protect these forests and continue industrial production."

The Svetogorsk mill which is located in Leningrad region on the

Finnish-Russian border will introduce a major provision in its policy

which will ensure that no wood from ancient forests is processed.

"People are only now starting to understand the importance of ancient

forests to the biodiversity," said the deputy chief of forestry

department of Svetogorsk pulp mill Reino Kotti. "In our opinion it is

important also for the industry to respect the needs of the

environment."

Key to the Svetogorsk announcement was the geographical information of

Greenpeace. "Our commitment to ancient forest free production would

have been impossible without the information provided by Greenpeace,"

said Reino Kotti. "Now we are able to show to our suppliers exactly

which areas should be protected."

Greenpeace used satellite technology and on-the-ground verification to

produce detailed maps showing forest areas down to 20 000 hectares in

size. "Our maps give companies and governments unique information that

can be use to protect these forests," said Alexey Yaroshenko, the

forest campaigner of Greenpeace in Russia. "We will provide this

information to companies using wood products in Russia and in Europe

so that they can demand ancient forest free products from their

suppliers. We have already sent copies to companies in Sweden,

Austria, Germany, UK and in the Netherlands."

"The information provided by our GIS mapping project is startling."

said Christoph Thies. "With a one glance anyone can see that ancient

forests in western Russia are getting smaller and more fragmented

every day."

There are still more ancient forests left in Russia than in any other

country in the world. But especially in European part of Russia the

forest are threatened by fragmentation caused by industrial logging.

Svetogorsk pulp and paper mill is owned by a Swedish Tetra Laval and

it produces 180 000 tonnes of printing paper per year. 70 per cent of

the production is exported to Europe and Americas.

Greenpeace on the Web : http://www.greenpeace.org

Note:

Fact sheet about Svetogorsk.

The full name of the pulp mill is Svetogorsky Pulp and Paper Mill.

Svetogorsk is one of the biggest Russian P&P mill located in the

Russian-Finnish border in Leningrad region.

The annual wood usage from 1.1 to 1.4 million m3. It comes from

Northern European part of Russia. The products are A4 paper, tissue,

liquid paper and pulp.

The annual volume of paper is more then 180 000 tones. The abroad

export is approx. 70% to Europe, Americas etc.

The P&P mill was owned by Tetra Laval. Now Tetra is in negotiation

with International Paper (IP) which is going to buy Svetogorsk.

It is one of the few Russian companies which still "stays" in crisis

situation. Svetogorsk is going to make a declaration on guarantee no

wood from ancient forests which are recognized and put on the map base

by Greenpeace and other ENGOs is processed.

The amount of ancient forests in Northern European part of Russia is

from 5 to 15% and mostly located in far regions.

Svetogorsk already made declaration on guarantee no wood from

potential ancient forests in Karelia and Murmansk. The main task in

the project is creation of the control system. It will take a period

of time.

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