Forest industries represent an important segment of the Soviet economy, accounting for five percent of the total industrial output and providing essential materials for other key industries. This book, the first in-depth study of Soviet forestry in the English language, looks at the organizational, planning, economic, and technological aspects of the industry. Mr. Blandon first discusses labor force trends and geographical features of the country's forest resources, then assesses the forest industry's modernization program. He analyzes the past performance of capital investment in the industry and makes projections about the effects of future investments in order to estimate the Soviet Union's future timber output. Throughout the book considerable attention is devoted to the Soviet planning system and its influence on decision making.

In analysing the development and achievements of Polish forestry and forest industries over the last four decades, it is necessary to take into consideration the situation prevailing after the end of the Second World War, when these sectors of the national economy were starting their activities. First of all, it is necessary to consider the effects of the war such as: (a) the harvesting from the forests of the present Polish territory of 3 about 200 million m of merchantable wood, which is equal to the normal harvest over a l2-year period; (b) the destruction of over half the woodworking industrial potential. In consequence, the forested area inside the new Polish boundaries amounted 40 years ago only to 20.8 per cent of the whole area of the country. There has been a continuing process of increasing the forested area of the country (although at a diminishing rate). In 1986 the forest area amounted to 27.7 per cent of the land surface, that is to 8.7 million ha, an increase of over 2 million ha in 40 years. Intensive afforestation, performed regardless of the ownership category of the land by the State forest service, was aimed primarily at making good the losses in the forested area and the rational use of land not fit for agricultural purposes.