Rome, 25 September 2012- Russia has more than a fifth of the world's forests, nevertheless, such resources are considerably underutilized. Forests in the Russian Federation play a crucial role as a global mitigator of climate change, as well as a significant source of timber. According to the Russian Forest Sector Outlook, forest area in the Russian Federation should increase by almost 1.5 percent from 882 million hectares in 2010 to 895 million hectares by 2030, an annual increase of 660 000 hectares.