No abstract

The research is aimed at substantiating a mechanism for the formation of interregional clusters. In order to identify the current state and development prospects for the Russian wood industry, we conducted an analysis of its functioning on the basis of official statistics. We substantiated the advantages of a cluster form of integration and made an assessment of the foreign and domestic clustering experience in the wood industry on the basis of an in-depth study of the related literature, analysis and synthesis of the data taken from certain specialized Internet portals of the Russian wood industry. To implement into practice our approach to the formation of interregional wood industry clusters in the Central Federal District (CFD), we carried out a research into these territories’ resource potential for clusterization (a rating-and-score method, methods of localization and concentration, a method of territorial proximity, a method of formalization, etc.). The obtained results showed that is it possible to form 4 wood industry clusters in the CFD of Russia, allowing to concentrate a resource capacity of several territories for the purpose of strengthening the interregional interaction of the timber industry enterprises, to create opportunities for the implementation of large-scale innovative projects in the industry.

The article deals with the issues of training personnel for forestry. The predicted need for forest personnel has been established. The annual need for highly qualified specialists is comparable to the volume of state-funded places taught by forestry universities, technical schools and colleges within the admission target. The complex nature of forestry work, their high labor intensity, combined with the impact of natural and climatic risks on the process of labor activity, reduce the attractiveness of forestry professions for graduates. The greatest shortage of personnel is formed in institutions that protect forests from fires. An increase in the number of forest firefighters is possible when the profession "Forest Firefighter" is included in the List of occupations of workers, positions of employees for which vocational training is carried out in educational organizations. For the accelerated training of forest firefighters and volunteer firefighters, it is necessary to organize innovation and educational centers at the level of federal districts.

This article is devoted to the formation of a mechanism for the rational use of forests as a renewable natural resource, including transfer of forest areas in rent taking into account market indicators, advantages and disadvantages in the process of timber sales. The total income received in the form of fees for the use of forest fund and for the use of forests in 2016 in the Russian Federation is amounted to 24.4 billion rubles, which is 0.9 billion rubles (by 3.8%) more compared with the previous year. According to the state report of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology, in the reporting 2016 year this payment was received in the amount of 27.8 billion rubles, which is 3.4 billion rubles (almost 14%) more than in 2015. Thus, due to the fact that Russia's natural forest resources constitute powerful strategic competitive advantage in the world economic system, the article, on the basis of the system approach, reveals correlation between the level of rent payments and profitability from the sale of round wood, taking into account harvested and considered assortments, which allows forming forest payments on the basis of domestic and export market prices and as a result increasing financial contribution from the use of forests to the national budget. .

The Russian forest sector is now undergoing global changes related to the development of digitalization and innovation. Raising the innovation level is a strategically important task for the country. It depends on the conditions created for the development of intellectual resources. Forest is a natural capital, partially forming the country’s national wealth. Russia occupies leading positions in the world forest yield. Attraction of innovation to the forest sector is the urgent task. For a long time, forest sector was unattractive for businesses and investors due to the long cultivation cycle, natural risks and large fire losses. Here innovations should come to rescue. They enable to automate biological processes and gain progress in productivity growth. Innovations should not be borrowed technologies, but created using our own resources. Today, scientists from Germany, Italy, and Costa Rica are looking for different approaches increasing forestry innovative potential. We propose to use knowledge for innovative development of the forest sector: there is a direct relationship between the levels of innovative activity and education. The aim of this article is to create instruments for the forestry innovative development, based on the knowledge economy, leading to the innovation formation.