6th Forest and Man International Forum opened its doors as part of Lesdrevmash’2012 International Exhibition

The forum was attended by nearly 2500 delegates including heads of Russian federal and regional authorities and professional associations, scientists and leading timber manufacturers.

Opening the forum, Miron Tatsun, President of the Union of Timber Manufacturers and Exporters, said: ‘Since its inception, the forum has considerably extended its geographic reach. Now it runs not only in Moscow but also in a number of major forestry regions of Russia, and addresses key issues of the Russian timber sector.

The organizers and participants in the forum were welcomed by Denis Maturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. In his address he said that discussions to be held as part of the forum would help find balanced solutions to the current industry issues and set up communication between manufacturers, public and authorities.

The first day of the forum featured a plenary session called Russian Timber Sector Development: Policy and Strategy.

It presented an overview of the Russian forestry policy given by Viktor Maslyakov, Head of the Federal Forestry Agency of the Russian Federation and reports by legislative and executive officials of the Russian Federation. The plenary session was attended by Sergei Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The 2012 Forum was marked by high international attendance. For the first time ever, it was attended by Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Director of UN FAO Forestry Department. The plenary session featured reports by the Secretary General of the Chinese National Federation of Timber Industry and delegates from international and national organizations.