Illegal logging has decreased by almost 30% in Russia since the beginning of 2025.%

In the three quarters of 2025, the volume of illegal logging amounted to 222.8 thousand cubic meters, in the same period last year — 313.4 thousand cubic meters. Alexey Abramov, head of the Department for Supervision and Use of Forests for Timber Harvesting at the Federal Forestry Agency, told Izvestia on November 10.

Since the beginning of the year, 4,6 thousand facts of illegal logging have been revealed in the country. During the same period of 2024, 5,700 such offenses were recorded.

"The number of such offenses is systematically decreasing in Russia. There is a whole range of measures in the regions - increasing the frequency of measures for patrolling forest areas, preventive conversations with the local population, and space monitoring. In addition, all timber transactions are reflected in the FGIS (Federal State Information System. — Ed.) of the Forest complex. This allows us to confirm the legality of the origin of the wood. It is illegal to cut down a tree and then sell it. We need not only permits for logging, but also documents confirming the legality of the harvesting and the transaction," said Alexey Abramov.

He also added that 2.1 thousand criminal cases had been initiated on the facts of illegal logging, and administrative fines amounting to 4 million rubles had been imposed.

The regions with a significant decrease in illegal logging in the first nine months of this year include Karelia, a 13—fold decrease, Komi, a seven—fold decrease, and the Tver Region, a six—fold decrease.

Wood chips will fly: timber producers are offered to allow logging in excess of legal limits

How much are we talking about and can it affect the environment?

On June 9, six residents of Dalnegorsk and Vladivostok were accused of illegally cutting down forests for a total of 120 million rubles. It was noted that no later than January 2021, acting as part of an organized group, more than 2 thousand trees were cut down in the area of the Dalnegorsk city district without obtaining appropriate permits.

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