ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines history of logging technology and aims to discover features which will help in an assessment of the potential of present and future investment plans. It discusses nature of the Soviet Union's forests and presents general geographical background to the forest industries. The book also examines planning system and the related price system. It also discusses forest products industries. The book provides the basis for the rather pessimistic predictions about the future output from the logging industry. The world's timber needs could be supplied by exports from the Siberian and Amazon areas. The main way in which an inability to expand output from the Soviet Union's forests can be got around is to attempt a fuller utilisation of the timber felled.
