Drastic down grade of social well being in Forest communities of the Republic of Karelia (RK), Russia
Introduction: In recent years, the environmental movement in Russia has been alarmed that sustainable forestry was not being practiced in the Republic of Karelia (RK). That is why we, five members of the Board of Directors of FSC AC, visited Karelia in June 2013. Two forestry operations were on our field trip agenda. They were between the two largest lakes in Europe, Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega, The Forest Management Units that we visited in this area are certified through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) system. As a consequence, we travelled by a small bus from St. Petersburg to Olonets on June 15. Olonets is at 61 degrees north latitude. Whitehorse, Yukon, in Canada, and Anchorage, Alaska, are at the same latitude. Road trip along the M18 in the Republic of Karelia: During the visit to the Republic of Karelia (June 15-16, 2013), our delegation travelled the M18 highway. The M prefix for M18 means the highway leads to Moscow. It is also called the...