"Western consumers prefer buying legal products", the ministry stresses.
According to it, less than one percent of the Russian forest fund is certified. For comparison's sake, in Sweden, Germany, Finland, Austria 100 percent of the forest land has been certified, over a half in Poland.
Introduction of the Russian national standards of voluntary forest certification will begin in 2006, the press release says.
In the opinion of Rosleskhoz head Valeri Roschupkin, certification will not only pave the road for Russian timber to the international markets but will help at least in part to resolve the problem of wanton tree felling.
The damage from illegal forest use in Russia comes up to 5.5 billion rubles (1 dollar equals 27.79 rubles) annually at the total incomes from forest use at six billion rubles last year, the ministry says.
The press release reports that the Federal Forest Economy Agency (Rosleskhoz) has signed the agreement of intent to set up a coordinating center. It will present Russia in the Pan-European Forest Certification Council.
The document has been signed by the top managers of the Russian National Council for Forest Certification and the National Council for Voluntary Forest Certification, Alexander Isaev and Nikolai Yeremeev, respectively.
According to the pan-European rules, a country shall be represented by only one national body, the ministry said.
"Agreement on an integral organization, which will perform representation functions abroad, is to boost the process of certification in Russia and the recognition of the Russian national standards at the international level", the press release reads.
The Russian national councils plan before the end of 2005 to finalize the documents, approve and register them at the Pan-European Forest Certification Council.
