Drivers of Spatial Heterogeneity in the Russian Forest Sector: A Multiple Factor Analysis

Abstract

This study explored the regional differences in the forest industry and management via a Multiple Factor Analysis approach. The dataset used comprises all Russian regions and 34 variables that comprehensively describe the situation in the sector. Based on the Multiple Factor Analysis, the variables contributing most to the spatial heterogeneity in Russian forestry were divided into industrial and forestry factors. The regions leading in the development of the timber industry are mainly located in the Northwestern and Southeastern parts of Russia. They show similarities in high logging volumes, investment attractiveness, and competitiveness in foreign markets. However, a divergence was found between the Northwestern regions and the Siberian and the Far East territories in terms of forest management factors. The Western part of Russia benefits from the density of the population and infrastructure, and proximity to the national financial centers and European markets. By comparison, Asian Russia suffers from labor shortages caused by negative demographic trends and the negative consequences of climate change, resulting in an increase in forest losses and a lack of control, finance, and transport accessibility due to the vast territory. To alleviate regional inequalities, we propose the introduction of private ownership of forests, support for investment projects, and human capital development.

Spatiotemporal patterns of gross ecosystem product across China's cropland ecosystems over the past two decades

“…Our results also showed that the major reasons why GEP was increasing in most of China's provinces were the effects of variation in price, planting area, and precipitation. Similarly, the findings on population, socialeconomic level, and industry scale for spatial heterogeneity have been proved in other studies (Gordeev et al, 2021;Wang et al, 2021Wang et al, , 2022Zeng and Wang, 2022). In China, the effects of population growth and urbanization were significant.…”

Social and Economic Importance of Forest Companies in Asian Russia: Evidence from Corporate Financial Reporting

“…Even though only 44% of Russian timber and logging industry employees work there, it produces 53% of all Russian sawn timber, and its wood reserves amount to 74.7% of the national level. At the same time, the volume of high-value-added products in Asian Russia is still limited, due to the small size of the domestic market and the conjuncture of demand from bordering countries [17]. Meanwhile, the decline in foreign trade with the European Union creates additional development opportunities for the regions of Asian Russia.…”

“…The highest volumes are traditionally logged in the regions of Northwestern Russia (Arkhangelsk Oblast, Karelia Republic, Komi Republic, Vologda Oblast), as well as in Siberia (Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai). These two macroregions are the leaders of Russian timber industry due to the resource abundance and proximity to the main markets-Scandinavia and China, respectively [17].…”

“…The Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai are also national leaders in timber harvesting holding shares of 14.5% and 11%, respectively. Nevertheless, the manufacture of products with high value added is weak, due to the small scale of the domestic market, transport distance from the main areas of concentration of the population and economy, and the high demand for unprocessed timber from Asian countries [17]. As a result, the intensity of woodworking industry in Asian Russia is much lower than in the European part of the country, and its share of in the total volume of wood production decreases as the value-added of manufactured products grows up (Table 3).…”

“…Most studies of the Russian forest industry analyze the role of Russian forests as a tool to mitigate the effects of the global climate change [8][9][10], the efficiency of forest management practices [11][12][13][14][15], the comparative advantages in wood products trade [16], the spatial heterogeneity in the timber industry [17,18], specific issues of the timber sector in some particular regions [19][20][21], etc. Due to limited data availability [22], microlevel research on Russian forest economics is occasional.…”