Some two million ha of forest have been destroyed by fire in Russia during this year – five times more than in 2001.
More than 40 forest fires are still burning on nearly 9,000 ha, 38 of them in the Yaroslavl, Amur and Chita regions.
However the Ministry of Natural Resources has reassured customers that Russia remains a leading source of timber, with its total forest area covering some 12 million square kilometres.
