March 04, 2014. The amount of forestry resources use fees paid to Sverdlovsk Region budget in 2013 (including fines and awarded damages) came to 816m RUR, the local Forestry Department's press service says.

According to the data that were reported at the Department meeting, the forest restoration target figures were met by 111% last year. Sverdlovsk Region also has all the standard nursery materials and seed stock to work on forest restoration in 2014.

In addition, the area of forest was four times smaller in 2013 than in 2012; the percentage of forest fires that were extinguished on the day they started was 70%. 87% of fires were put out within the first 24 hours. Besides, the amount of illegal logging was 19% smaller in 2013 compared with 2012.

'In 2014, reducing the amount of illegal practices within the framework of the government forestry policy will be our main forestry management challenge. Starting on April 1, 2014, 297 additional officials from 31 forestries of Sverdlovsk Region will be given the authority to engage in federal firefighting surveillance activity.