MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that exports of unprocessed valuable types of hardwood and coniferous trees be banned from the start of 2022, in an effort to support exporters of timber products with advanced processing.

"From Jan. 1, 2022, I order the introduction of a complete ban on the export of timber that is unprocessed or only processed for show of coniferous and valuable types of hardwood from Russia," Putin said in a video conference late on Tuesday, published on the Kremlin website on Wednesday.

Putin also called for effective and consistent management of forests and for a tough crackdown on criminality in the logging industry.