Forest policy issues in modern Russia

The article is devoted to the study of the institutional arrangements for the development of forest-covered territories of Russia. The subject of the research is the current institutional system that regulates economic relations in forest management in Russia. The structural institutional elements of this system are the ownership of forest resources; forest certification and formation of forest payments. The purpose of the study is to assess the state of the institutional arrangements governing the forest management system and the economic relations in this institutional system; substantiation of the mechanisms for establishing effective models of forestry development. The methodology is based on the provisions of the institutional theory, sustainable development and the theory of rent. Research tools include institutional analysis, quantitative and qualitative sociological methods. The empirical footing is formed by the results of many years of comprehensive economic and sociological research of forest areas of the Republic of Karelia in 1998-2018 (public opinion polls; interviews with forest service specialists, local and regional authorities, heads of forest companies), research materials from Russian and foreign scientific schools and official websites. A descriptive analysis of the problems encountered by various forest policy stakeholders relations is offered.