Forests of the Bryansk region especially suffered from emissions
as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP. 25 per cent of
the Bryansk forests are affected by radiation. It's evident that no
forestry and economic activities are carried out in the affected
forests. So far…
According to information of the MNR, the wood stocks in areas of
the most serious radioactive contamination (more than 15 Cu/km2)
exceed 6.3 million m3, 0.6 million m3 of them being mature and
overmature wood. The heads of the Rosleskhoz can't stand looking at
this wasted "wealth". To use radioactive forests Bolshakov proposes
to "construct four mobile reprocessing plants based on radiation
safe technologies with few people involved".
Especially suspicious is the wording "with few people involved".
It seems to be initially admitted that reprocessing of such timber
can pose a serious danger for the personnel. What can be said then
about the future products?
The MNR has not reported yet, what in particular is going to be
produced from radioactive wood. However, judging by the volumes,
this will most probably be timber materials.
By the way, the "wealth" is not so big. On the Russian scale,
0.6 million m3 of "mature and overmature wood" is quite a small
volume: it is only 0.35% of the annual volume of legally produced
timber in the country. However, to achieve this tiny per cent,
special technologies "with few people involved" will have to be
developed. These will be unique technologies, because nowhere in
the world radioactive wood is used in the timber production.
The absurd plan of the MNR is not only dangerous for the
environment. It also creates powerful adverse publicity for Russian
timber products.