Problems and prospects of digitalization and informatization of forest education in Russia

Digital technologies are rapidly invading all spheres of life of modern society. Education is no exception. On the contrary, education is becoming one of the main subjects and beneficiaries of digitalization in the broad sense of the word, often in the most unexpected areas of knowledge obtaining, mastering and applying. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Economic priorities of the strategic planning of forest sector in the Russian Federation

Branch and regional prioritization of the forest sector is a necessary condition for its development and compatibility growth. It allows toplan and forecast the forest management activities and their allocation across the country. Strategic planning and forecasting should use the following methodology. Firstly, it is necessary to rank the priority branches of the forest sector according to the criterion of their income (for example, wooden housing construction, packing paper, furniture, bioenergy, etc.). At the next iteration, economic regions are to be ranked according to the transportation cost criterion (for example, North-West, West, Center of Russia, Siberia, the Far East etc.). Merging both iterations in a single matrix will show the direction of diminishing effectiveness of the managerial solutions. The most effective solutions will be in the upper left corner of the matrix. The least effective solutions will move to the lower right corner. This matrix should serve a conceptual basis of the methodology for the long-term strategic planning and forecasting of the forest sector in the Russian Federation. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Blockchain - killer of illegal wood

Distributed Ledger Technology (DTL) is a leading technologies in the current "digital revolution". The new technology is a real boon for the national forest sector. It may bring the Russian forest sector to the forefront of competitiveness and efficiency. However, the internal shortcomings, dangers, and threats of the new technology should be timely studied and eliminated. The "digit"is as strong as nuclear power. It is able to bestowhumanity or cause a global catastrophe if mishandled andmistreated. This fully applies to the forestry sector. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Blockchain - booster of the Russian forest information systems

Digitalization of the Russian forest sector is successfully developing. The first Unified State Automated Information System for timber accounting and transactions (LesEGAIS) has been operating since December 30, 2015 and continues to improve. In 2023, it will be qualitatively transformed into the Federal State Information System of the Forestry Sector FGIS LK. However, these systems continue to be built on centralized databases and rapidly outdated information concepts of the last century. They do not consider the fundamentally new opportunities that the new breakthrough information technology of the distributed ledger (the blockchain) provides to the forest. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Globalization of the forest sector: Causes and consequences

The successes of the post-industrial development of the world economy largely depend on the globalization process. Different sectors of the economy with varying degrees of preparedness and results participate in the processes of globalization. The greatest success in this process was achieved so far by the global trade. Already in the first half of the past century, tools were developed to regulate the process of trade globalization. These tools streamline the spontaneous actions of individual countries with the help of a common and mandatory for all countries code of “traffic rules” in the global market for goods and services. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has emerged due to the increase in the volumes and nomenclature of the international exchange of goods and services, expanding international production cooperation and growing dependence of all countries on the international exchange of goods and services. Another sector of politics and economics that is subject to globalization processes is nature management and environmental protection. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (UNCED) was the result of a realization of the need to prevent negative environmental impacts. The Conference has adopted the “Forest Principles”. They secured a global consensus on the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests, although they lacked of legal force. Forest principles were the first global consensus to offer all countries a common path for the creation and development of their national forest policy. In accordance with the stated principles, national states have the sovereign and inalienable right to use their forests, manage them and conduct forestry in accordance with their needs and their level of socio-economic development. National forest policy must not contradict the principles of sustainable development and forest legislation. Forest principles have formed the framework and conceptual approaches to the development and implementation of the national forest policies in globalization context. Future planning is becoming one of the most important tools for the sustainable forest management at the national and regional levels in globalization era. © Forest-Based Industries in the Global Economy .All right reserved

Policy decisions on the forest sector globalization

Globalization requires a sustainable development strategy. The current stage of globalization is accompanied by an enormous development of the productive forces of mankind and its rapid growth. Unregulated development can cause environmental destruction and threaten life on Earth. The material and ecological resources of the planet are not unlimited. The reserves of oil, gas, ore, minerals, arable land and forests are limited. These limits impose a natural limitation on humanity's drive for unbridled growth. Forests remain one of the main components of the planet's ecosystem. The quality of the environment largely depends on the presence and condition of forests. Forests play an extremely important and multifaceted role in ensuring sustainable socio-economic development of human society. Forests stabilize natural processes, regulate climate, perform soil protection, water conservation, sanitary, hygienic, recreational and many other environmental and social functions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO of the UN) estimates that forests currently cover about 30% of the world's land area. The total area of forests is over 4 billion hectares. Every year humanity loses more than twenty million hectares of forest area. Degradation and loss of forests cause local, regional and global environmental problems. The world community needs international legal regulation of forest. The recognition of the global role of forests is reflected in several international conventions and treaties. Sustainable forest management is critical to economic and social development, environmental protection and sustaining life on the planet. All UN member states are encouraged to coordinate approaches to forest conservation and protection. Russia is a member of the UN. It actively participates in the legislative mission to implement the assumed international obligations. © 14th International Scientific Conference WoodEMA 2021 - The Response of the Forest-Based Sector to Changes in the Global Economy, Proceedings. All rights reserved