Belarus, UNDP to implement project to adapt forestry to climate change

MINSK, 1 June (BelTA) – The Foreign Ministry of Belarus jointly with the UNDP Office is planning an investment project to aid adaptation of forestry to climate change, BelTA learnt from Valentin Shatravko, chief of the forestry department of the Forestry Ministry. Valentin Shatravko is attending the international workshop, Forestry Policy in Wood Energy, which opened in Minsk under the auspices of the FAO and UNECE.

The project will be carried out in four areas. Around €3.5 million will be allocated for the project in 2011-2014. For example, wood fuel from felling waste which is now used inefficiently will be made an increased use of. A possibility of applying latest technology and equipment is being considered. “We will be working on the methods to identify how much carbon dioxide our forests absorb so that we could get additional revenues from reducing greenhouse emissions,” Valentin Shatravko said.

“The Forestry Ministry would like to cooperate with the World Bank who has pledged to finance the projects to protect forests against fires and create a system of video surveillance over the situation in the forests during the fire hazardous period, to build forestry roads, develop nurseries, create infrastructure for storage of wood fuel and its delivery to bio plants,” Valentin Shatravko said. These investment projects worth $200 million will be carried out by 2015.

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MINSK, 1 June (BelTA) – The energy potential of wood fuel in Belarus is estimated at 10 million cubic meters, First Deputy Forestry Minister of Belarus Nikolai Kruk said at the international workshop, Forestry Policy in Wood Energy, which opened in Minsk under the auspices of the FAO and UNECE.

The workshop has been organized by the Forestry Ministry. Experts in forestry and bio-energy from all CIS countries gathered in the Belarusian capital to discuss policy options for wood energy. The specialists will share their experience in this area and latest scientific achievements in the manufacture of new types of wood fuel.

According to Nikolai Kruk, to ensure the energy security of the country the Forestry Ministry is developing the infrastructure to store, produce and deliver wood fuel to the power-generating facilities. Thirty-three producers of chip fuel operate in Belarus. Their aggregate capacity is 511,000 cubic meters per year. There are two pellet companies with the total capacity of 6,000 tonnes per year. A sectoral program envisages the construction of 61 wood fuel facilities in 2011-2015.

Nikolai Kruk stressed that forests play an important role in the economic development of the country and its energy security. One of the ways to enhance the security is to replace imported energy with local fuels. Belarusian forestry experts are ready to share their experience in implementing projects in wood fuel with their colleagues.

The workshop discussed the course of implementation of the FAO program on forest policy in Europe and Central Asia. The UNDP presented a project on renaturalization and sustainable management of peatlands in Belarus to combat land degradation, ensure conservation of globally valuable biodiversity and mitigate climate change. The UNIDO offered its program on renewable energy and energy efficiency and will share the experience in implementing energy projects in various countries.

The participants of the workshop will get familiar with the forestry management practices in Belarus. They will visit a range of forestry companies, the national forestry selection and seed-production center and Vileika mini-CHP plant. The international workshop will finish on 4 June.