Firewood harvesting by the population. Rules and responsibility for legislative violations.

In anticipation of the heating season, many citizens need to purchase and stock firewood.

The Verkhnedvinsk Inter-district Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora informs that, in accordance with Article 44 of the Forest Code of the Republic of Belarus, the harvesting of timber from forest fund plots by citizens is carried out for a fee based on an order. An order for the minor sale of timber in its standing state is issued by the forestry, and no more than 50 cubic meters of timber can be harvested under an order.

According to Article 42 of the Forest Code, a citizen wishing to obtain a plot for timber harvesting must submit a written application to the forestry office at their place of residence for the provision of a forest fund plot for firewood harvesting, indicating: the purpose of obtaining the forest fund plot, full name, place of residence, the volume of firewood planned for harvesting, and the period for which the forest fund plot is requested.

The legal entity engaged in forestry, its structural unit (forestry), in accordance with Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 200 of April 26, 2010 "On Administrative Procedures Carried Out by State Bodies and Other Organizations Upon Applications from Citizens," within two working days from the date of application submission, reviews the application and attached documents and, in the absence of grounds for refusal to provide a forest fund plot for forest use, provides a forest fund plot by issuing an order to the applicant, provided that they pay the fee for forest use.

After the order is issued, the logging site is transferred to the citizen with the drawing up of an acceptance-transfer act for the logging site. After this, timber harvesting is carried out.

The order serves as the basis for the removal of harvested timber. The removal of harvested timber is carried out only after it has been measured by a forestry employee. The forestry employee enters the volume of actually harvested timber into the order form, indicating the species, their surname, given name, patronymic (if any), the date of measurement of the timber in harvested form, to be removed on the day of measurement, and signs it.

Violation of timber harvesting rules entails bringing the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the current legislation.

  Senior State Inspector

  Verkhnedvinsk Inter-district Inspectorate                                                      G