ABSTRACT
This article discusses the contemporary changes taking place in local communities involved in the forest sector of the economy in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It presents underpinnings of the study plan on the subject. The focus of the study is to address the following questions: how the reactions and actions of local and supralocal actors modify the development of residential and settlement issues during transition? And, what kind of influence do these developments have on local community and settlement formation? The article then provides a closer examination of two case study villages in response to some preliminary considerations regarding the starting points for the processes of change.
