Forestry Sector
The national forestry complex comprises forest cultivation and timber, woodworking and pulp-and paper industries.
In Belarus, forests cover more than 9.3 million hectares, or 37.7% of the whole territory. The total timber resources are estimated at 1.4 billion cubic meters (m3). Per capita forest stock is 2.2 times the average world value. Nearly 85% of the whole timber stock includes the most commercially valuable trees: pines, birches and spruces.
About 8% of all forests are mature and yield the main volume of harvested timber. In 2008, the harvesting volume of commercial timber made 14.7 million m3, of them the stock used for further
industrial processing made 9.3 million m3, and fuel wood – 5.4 million m3.
The volumes of harvested timber cover the demand of domestic woodworking enterprises and also allow significant exports (mainly in the form of paper wood used in pulp-and-paper industry). In 2008, these exports made about 2 million m3.
Today, the country has 2800 woodworking enterprises, produce a wide assortment of goods. The most demanded items are furniture, wooden boards, wall-papers, plywood, and paper and cardboard tare. The output volumes cover the domestic demand and are exported to foreign markets.
Manufacture of finished wood products from is concentrated mainly in the entities belonging to the "Bellesbumprom" Concern. An important sphere in the work of the Concern is production of furniture, where 23 entities are engaged. The largest and best technically equipped ones are: the CJSC "Molodechnomebel", CJSC "Pinskdrev" Holding Company, CJSC "Bobruiskmebel", OJSC "Minskproektmebel" and OJSC "Slonimmebel". Wall-paper is produced by OJSC "Beloruskie Oboi" and OJSC "Gomeloboi". A major manufacturer of cardboard and tare therefrom is the OJSC Svetlogorsk Pulp-and-Cardboard Combine.
In 2008, the total output of the forestry, woodworking and pulp-and-paper industries increased by 8.6%, exports – by 7% against the preceding year.
With to aim to increase competitiveness of its products, the "Bellesbumprom" has developed a programme of creating new and retooling of existing productions.
According to this programme, it is planned to create additional capacities for manufacturing 410,000 m3 of wood chip boards per year at the OJSC "Ivatsevichdrev", OJSC "FanDOK" and OJSC "Mostovdrev", and to modernize the existing facilities at OJSC "Rechitsadrev". The OJSC "Borisovdrev", OJSC "Vitebskdrev", OJSC "Gomeldrev" and OJSC "Mostovdrev" will house new production facilities for medium density fibre boards (MDF) to the volume of 460,000 m3 per year.
Within the above programme, in 2008, at the Newsprint Paper Factory in Shklov, a production was launched of wooden houses with capacity of 200 complete sets of frame houses and 50 complete sets of houses from glued bars per year. In 2010, the OJSC "Gomeldrev" plans to start production of frame-panel houses with capacity of 200 houses per year.
The Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of October 18, 2007, No. 529 "On Certain Measures for Development of Woodworking Industry" provides state support to the Concern entities for realization of priority investment projects.
The "Bellesbumprom" Concern has designed and is implementing the programme of retooling and modernization of its pulp-and-paper enterprises. As a result of the programme, the OJSC "Spartak" Paper Factory will start producing high-quality sanitary-and-hygienic paper and respective products.
Modernization of process equipment at the OJSC "Geroy Truda" Dobrush Paper Factory will increase production of finished goods by 40% and sale of about 80% of this surplus in foreign arkets. With the aim to reduce the influence of the global financial crisis and ensure stable operation of the forestry complex entities, the country has taken a number of steps to restrain the price growth on timber, create most favourable conditions for all consumers, and grant independence to the entities in sale of their products. According to the recently adopted normative documents:
• In 2009, the felling value of the wood sold in standing will be preserved at the level of 2008. At selling this wood at the auctions held by the OJSC "Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange", the starting price will be at the felling value. Depending on the demand, during the auction this price can be dropped by 50%;
• In 2009, the mandatory sale at the auction in the home market of prefabricated wood and saw-timber will be suspended, as well as for exports: wood chip and wood fibre (MDF) boards,
matches and glued plywood;
• The size of the first payment for timber of main trees sold in standing was decreased, which has allowed buyers to get additional turnaround funds for purchase of wood raw materials, and
stimulated increase in processing volumes thereof.
