Administrative liability for the illegal felling of forests

This article looks at problems existing in the sphere of application of legal norms which regulate the process of imposing administrative liability for the illegal felling of trees and shrubs in Russia. Administrative liability for violations in the sphere of use and protection of forests in Russia is becoming the issue of high priority due to the development of the timber industry in the Russian Federation over recent years. Being the most common type of liability for violations of environmental law, administrative liability creates tools for authorized state organs and officials to hold individuals and legal entities liable for certain offences. Due to the imperfection of administrative legislation which stipulates penalties for violating the rules of use and protection of forests, as well as complex classification of offences in this sphere, in practice there is a problem of proper qualification of the offences by authorities presiding over the cases. The enforcement problems are mainly connected with absence of a clear definition of forest and forest zones.