The Forest Products Industry,A Specialized Activity of the Sos'va Valley Section of the Ob' Basin

The construction of the Ivdel'—Ob' railroad has opened up the rich timber resources of the Sos'va section of the Ob' River basin. Fifteen logging centers are in operation along the rail line, shipping 3.5 million cubic meters of timber, mainly as roundwood. Selective logging practices used at the present time tend to deplete timber reserves more rapidly than planned. To preserve the Sos'va region as a long-term supplier of timber for the industrial regions of the USSR, sound forest management is recommended, including multipurpose utilization of felled timber and reforestation. The forest products industry will be more economical if about 70 percent of the felled timber is converted into marketable wood products in major mill complexes planned for the region, leaving 30 percent for shipment as roundwood (pitprops, pulpwood, shipbuilding timber). The proposed Lower Ob' hydroelectric power project, even with the lower normal headwater surface now under consideration, would prevent economic development of the region by flooding valuable resource lands.