WEST-EAST COOPERATION IN EUROPE FOR SUSTAINABLE BOREAL FORESTS

The boreal forest is in transition. Large areas in remote regions are still in a pristine state, but extensive exploitation or intensive man agement for wood production dominates in Russia, Canada and the Nordic countries. The broadened view that forests are sources of other produ cts than wood as well as of biodiversity is gradually becoming interna tionally accepted. To sustain the boreal forest for the future it must be realised that the forest has to be sustained as a system rather th an as a number of utilities that can be considered separately. In nort hern Europe the situation is particularly striking with a strong contr ast between the adjacent boreal forests in Scotland, Sweden and Finlan d on the one hand, and the north-west of Russia on the other. The two regions differ by history, type of land use and economic system but th ey are basically biologically similar. Combining sustainable wood prod uction and maintenance of biodiversity and other values means setting limits to the intensity and extent of forest management. If the impact has been large, it is also necessary to build more natural features i nto managed systems. Developing a sustained boreal forest system by ma nagement of forests and forests reserves can be more efficient if rese arch, education and management are well integrated. Scientists, teache rs and managers must meet frequently and interact. In this way the tim e-lag between the advent of new knowledge and its implementation in th e field can be reduced. We argue that co-operation among contrasting r egions like the east and the west provides a unique opportunity for su ch integration, We review the problems and requirements in the west an d the east, respectively, by contrasting Scotland, Sweden and the Komi Republic in Russia. The experiences are different and therefore compl ementary to each other. This assures long-term benefits of joint actio n.