The expert spoke about the influence of everyday habits on the fate of forests

The state of forests depends not only on government and business decisions, but also on people's daily behavior. Andrey Khoroshilov, founder and CEO of the Save the Forest project, told Izvestia on February 22.

According to him, in the public consciousness, the forest is often perceived as a remote area, unrelated to the life of the townspeople. However, it is the daily practices that shape the amount of logging, the load on the soil, and the risks of fires.

"Personal responsibility is becoming a key environmental factor today. Even small changes in daily habits collectively have a noticeable effect," the expert noted.

Paper consumption remains a significant factor. Despite digitalization, the demand for paper products remains high. Reducing excessive printing, switching to electronic documents, and reusing paper can reduce pressure on the forest fund. According to estimates by environmental organizations, even partial abandonment of disposable paper products is reflected in the industry statistics of timber harvesting.

Equally important is the attitude towards packaging. Choosing products with a minimum amount of packaging materials and avoiding short-life cycle solutions reduces the total amount of waste. Some of the wood is used specifically for packaging production, so a reduction in demand in this segment affects the structure of raw material procurement in the long term.

The expert also drew attention to the problem of forest fires. According to the relevant services, a significant proportion of fires are related to the human factor — uninhabited bonfires, cigarette butts and incineration of garbage. The formation of sustainable habits of responsible fire management helps to reduce the risk of fires, the consequences of which persist for decades.

In addition, consumer decisions when choosing wood products also have an impact. Preference for durable goods and attention to the origin of raw materials, including the availability of environmental certification, contribute to more responsible forest management.

Khoroshilov stressed that forest conservation is a systemic task in which both international agreements and government programs, as well as everyday actions of citizens, are important. According to him, it is at the level of everyday decisions that a balance is formed between the use of forest resources and their natural restoration.

On February 17, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment proposed to develop a system for regulating the processing of oily waste. Denis Butsaev, the deputy head of the ministry, reported that the agency is preparing a regulatory framework to encourage the actual disposal of waste and the introduction of a federal register of responsible processors, unified technological standards and self-regulatory mechanisms. According to him, the tasks include turning the oil-based waste processing industry into a modern and environmentally efficient segment of the circular economy by 2030.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.