REGION OF IMPLEMENTATION 

Bragin, Bragin district, Vitebsk region

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TOPICS

Environmental sustainability and resource management
Technology and Innovation
Social development

CONTENTS OF THE ACTIVITY

The main benefit of fast-growing forests is their ability to accelerate forest regeneration while reducing pressure on natural, slow-growing forests. This method significantly reduces the time required to restore a tree stand from 47 to 20 years and increases the efficiency of land use and wood production. Due to their accelerated growth, such forests absorb carbon dioxide faster, helping to combat climate change.

The creation of fast-growing forests contributes to solve such problems as: ensuring sustainable development of forestry activities while meeting the needs for wood raw materials and maintaining environmental and biodiversity; reorientation of reforestation and afforestation to innovative technologies in order to increase efficiency and environmental safety; creation of small and medium-sized businesses in the woodworking sector; increasing the contribution of the forestry industry to the socio-economic development of the region and increasing revenues to the local budget through the use of forest resources.

KEY STEPS OF IMPLEMENTATION:

• Sectoral interaction. Implementation of three-way interaction between science, business and society to ensure an integrated approach to wood processing, from research and innovation to production and social support.
• Concept development and scientific support. The concept of complex and deep processing of fast-growing and low-grade wood was developed by the “Forest Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus” and was approved as the basis for the work of the initiative in the Bragin region.
• Creation of fast-growing tree plantations. An experimental plantation of poplar, aspen and birch seedlings with genetically determined growth rates and improved characteristics was prepared at the Komarinsky forestry enterprise.
• Implementation of innovations. New technologies and approaches in the field of woodworking are proposed. This made it possible to develop an effective technological process for the integrated processing of wood raw materials for the production of environmentally friendly fuel products such as wood chips, pellets and briquettes.

RESULTS AND IMPACT OF THE INITIATIVE

A three-sector cluster model of interaction in the woodworking industry of the Bragin region was created.

A concept for complex deep processing of fast-growing and low-grade wood was developed in the Bragin region.

2000 tree seedlings were planted. Further practice of planting fast-growing forests will provide the Bragin region with a source of sustainable raw materials for the production of environmentally friendly fuel products, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Forest planting equipment and a quadcopter were purchased for the Komarinsky Forestry. The equipment helps to conduct monitoring of forests, increases the efficiency of forest management and preserves their integrity

Assistance in the development of logging and woodworking production in the region was provided. Wood crushing equipment for a local business representative was purchased.

3 new jobs were created.

162 m³ of firewood for the production of wood chips was purchased from the Polesie State Radiation and Ecological Reserve. The resulting wood chips were transferred to socially significant objects and the population of the region as part of the initiative.

Information sources: 

1. bragin.by
2. komarinles.by
3. lesgazeta.by