The Kirov region has entrusted the restoration of forests to rain and sunshine.

      The Kirov region remains one of the most forested areas in the country, with 63% of its territory covered by green spaces. However, the methods of managing this wealth changed significantly last year. Instead of active human intervention, forest ecosystems are increasingly being encouraged to cope on their own. According to the regional Ministry of Forestry and Kirovstat, in 2025, natural forest regeneration accounted for 85.6% of all areas where relevant work was carried out. This means that in most of the territory, specialists simply allowed nature to regenerate itself—without seedlings, without planting, relying on rain, sun, and natural seeding. Traditional artificial reforestation accounted for only 13.4%. The combined method, which combines manual labor and natural processes, took a symbolic 1%. The total volume of reforestation activities amounted to 27.7 thousand hectares, which is 4.1% less than the previous year. Funding for this area also decreased to 210.7 million rubles, which is 3% lower than the 2024 figure. The activity in thinning operations decreased even more dramatically. In 2025, such work took place on 16.6 thousand hectares—8.6% less than a year ago. Almost half of these were thinning and cleaning operations aimed at forming young growth. Expenditures on forest care also decreased, dropping to 219.2 million rubles. The most dramatic reduction affected sanitary and health improvement activities. Their volumes collapsed almost by half—to 0.2 thousand hectares. At the same time, preventive work to protect against pests was maintained almost at last year's level: 7.9 thousand hectares were treated. The region's forestry strategy in 2025 appears to be a gradual retreat of humans and a transfer of initiative to nature. The question is how quickly the forest can adapt to such trust and whether the savings in budget funds will lead to long-term ecological risks.