Month: October 2025

“These are two excavators for building protective positions and a vehicle.

The brigade is known for the best long-range artillery — the 2S7 ‘Pion’ 203 mm SPGs, Swedish Archer systems, and German Panzerhaubitze 2000s.

Even 20 km from the front line, the artillery is forced to remain constantly in camouflaged shelters. It drives out of the caponier, fires, and quickly goes back underground.

There must be a large number of caponiers.

Therefore, every artillery battery needs at least one excavator. But enemy UAVs hunt and destroy construction equipment just as they do military vehicles. So help from charitable donors is indispensable.

This year the SFE ‘Forests of Ukraine,’ in addition to other aid, purchased and handed over to the artillerymen of the 43rd Brigade five semi-trailers (lowboy trailers) for transporting heavy military equipment.

We saw how our gift works in practice. Right before our eyes a ‘Pion’ self-propelled gun — weighing almost 50 tonnes and 3.4 meters wide — drove onto one of the trailers.

From now on the brigade will not only have means to transport its artillery, but also equipment for its sheltering.

Despite the increase in numbers and the development of UAVs, Ukrainian long-range artillery continues to play a huge role in holding back the enemy. And we will certainly continue to help and support our friends from the 43rd Artillery Brigade,” Yuriy Bolokhovets says.

Throughout the entire fire-hazard period, there were 119 forest fires recorded over an area of 116.8 hectares, compared to 325.8 hectares last year. Out of the total forest area of the region (110,000 hectares), this is just over one-tenth of one percent — an excellent result for a frontline region. For comparison, in the adjacent Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk region, forest fires covered nearly 2,000 hectares.

A significant portion of this year’s fires in Dnipropetrovsk region — 41 hectares — resulted from combat activities: air-dropped bombs, missiles, and drone strikes.

The forest protection service acted promptly and effectively. Despite difficult weather conditions during the summer (intense heat, wind, and drought), fires were localized quickly. As a result, the average fire area was less than 1 hectare, almost half of last year’s figure.

All this became possible thanks to a major upgrade of the firefighting equipment fleet provided by “Forests of Ukraine.” Since the unification of state forestry enterprises into a single entity, the purchase and delivery of new equipment have been ongoing.

Forestry in the Dnipropetrovsk region has always been subsidized. Before the reform, the state spent significant funds from the national budget to maintain it, as this is not a resource-rich region. The local forest enterprises earned mainly from selling firewood to residents and businesses — often not even enough to cover salaries.

What is the situation now?

This year, the Forestry Management Units of the “Skhidnyi Forest Office” branch in Dnipropetrovsk region sold products (mostly firewood for household needs) worth about 30 million UAH, while their total operational needs exceeded 100 million UAH. These needs include not only salaries but also forest care equipment, fuel and lubricants, vehicles for forest rangers, maintenance of existing transport, procurement of firefighting machinery and gear, and maintenance of fire infrastructure.

The entire shortfall was covered by “Forests of Ukraine” using its own earned funds — not a single kopeck came from the state budget.

This year, “Forests of Ukraine” purchased for the “Skhidnyi Forest Office” branch a batch of forest fire modules, several Renault Duster crossovers for forest patrols and firefighting, over 100 backpack sprayers, dozens of other firefighting tools, and cultivators for soil treatment. By the end of the year, the branch will receive more than ten additional fire modules, and next year’s plans include the purchase of several large fire trucks.

The result of this support for a non-resource region is a significant reduction in fire-affected areas — not only in Dnipropetrovsk region but also in the forests of Donetsk region, which came under the management of “Forests of Ukraine” this summer. Thanks to the new equipment, the area of fires in Donetsk region has decreased more than twice — from 4.6 thousand hectares to 1.9 thousand hectares.

Support for frontline regions from “Forests of Ukraine” will remain systematic. We are committed to reducing the impact of the war on the forest fund, supporting our employees, and preserving the forests for future generations.

In the coming days, delivery of 49 open-body vehicles (pickups) to the company’s branches will begin. The “Stolychnyi Forest Office” branch will receive the largest number this year — 14 vehicles. Cars will also be supplied to the Slobozhanskyi, Skhidnyi, Podilsky, Pivnichnyi, Poliskyi, Karpatskyi, and Tsentralnyi Forest Offices.

The deliveries will take place in two stages — an additional 37 pickups will be supplied next year. Purchasing a larger batch of vehicles from a single manufacturer helps reduce the price. The procurement was conducted through Prozorro, and savings from the expected cost amounted to almost 4 million UAH. The State Audit Service of Ukraine verified the purchase and found no violations of public procurement law.

What tasks will the new equipment be used for?

✔️ Most of the open-body vehicles will be equipped with forest firefighting modules with a capacity of 0.5 m³ or more, which will enhance firefighting efficiency, especially in frontline regions.

✔️ Part of the fleet will be used by forest rangers to detect illegal logging and combat poaching.

✔️ The new vehicles will also serve production needs — monitoring harvesting operations, receiving, and shipping forest products at warehouses.

For proper operation, each forestry unit should ideally have at least 2–3 functioning cars. Before the establishment of the SFE “Forests of Ukraine,” there were fewer than one vehicle per forestry unit.

Reasons include:

Aging vehicle fleet;

Since 2022, foresters have transferred over 1,000 vehicles to the front, including more than 100 passenger cars;

Support for newly attached frontline forest enterprises in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson regions, which were left without transport due to hostilities.

The enterprise is gradually investing in updating its fleet. In 2024 alone, it purchased 250 vehicles — pickups and budget SUVs. Another 130 off-road cars have already been acquired this year by the SFE “Forests of Ukraine.”

As a result, most forestry units have received new vehicles. After the delivery of the new batch of pickups, the area serviced by a single vehicle will be significantly reduced.

In June, we selected 366 specialists from all branches to join the new personnel reserve, which was updated following the reorganization of the enterprise’s regional structures. These employees are preparing to take on key positions such as branch forester, chief engineer, chief forester, head of forestry district, and head of production management. In case of a vacancy, they will be the first candidates considered for appointment.

The selection process was comprehensive and included testing of knowledge of the regulatory framework and forestry processes, as well as assessments of management competencies and motivation.

The Human Resources Department and the Forestry Training Center branch developed individual training programs for each position to ensure rapid professional growth of the candidates.

Throughout September, reservists completed online courses on basic management skills, including planning, organization, motivation, and coordination.

At the beginning of October, the next training block started — professional development, where reservists enhance their specialized knowledge according to their intended positions.

Already, 158 reservists have completed professional training for the position of branch forester. For this purpose, the branch engaged qualified lecturers from higher forestry education institutions, as well as experienced specialists from the Forestry Training Center.

The professional training program lasts 40 hours (one week) and is conducted online. All other groups will complete this stage by the end of autumn.

Afterward, all reservists will participate in leadership development training, covering topics such as team management, effective communication, decision-making, employee motivation, conflict management, emotional intelligence, delegation, and task performance control.

There will also be practical sessions using video cases and real-life examples to apply their knowledge.

At the final stage, to assess their learning outcomes, reservists will take testing and receive an individual development plan for systematic improvement and further skill advancement.

The acquired knowledge and experience will enhance participants’ qualifications and help them confidently face future professional challenges.

Today in the Verkhovna Rada, during the Government Question Hour, one of the MPs raised the issue of the urgent need to increase timber harvesting.

In response, Minister Oleksii Sobolev noted that there are objective reasons currently limiting harvesting — the war and regulatory restrictions. At the same time, there are opportunities to increase it.

“The volume of timber in Ukraine’s forests is estimated at 2.3 billion m³. Each year, 35 million m³ of wood grows. The annual harvest is about 15 million m³ — less than half of that. Meanwhile, in European countries, harvesting averages 70–80% of annual growth, and in some cases even 90%. We have a very large reserve for increasing harvesting according to European standards,” said Oleksii Sobolev.

According to the minister, work is underway to ensure that the Ukrainian woodworking industry receives enough timber.

“We can do this without any harm to the environment, in line with the best European standards. We have a plan for how to achieve it,” the minister explained.

Oleksii Sobolev called on MPs to support amendments to outdated regulations and to take a position regarding the moratorium on the export of unprocessed timber.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, together with the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine and the state enterprise Forests of Ukraine, are working on amendments to regulatory acts. These include updating sanitary rules, temporarily revising environmental restrictions, adjusting the maturity ages of stands to increase legal harvesting, expanding supply on the official market, and eliminating “grey” timber.

It is also worth mentioning that the Verkhovna Rada is currently considering the Draft Law “On the Timber Market” (No. 13227-d of 10.09.2025), aimed at comprehensive regulation and the development of a civilized market framework for the forestry and wood industry complex.

The draft law defines the legal, economic, and organizational foundations necessary to provide domestic processing enterprises and household consumers with timber on the principles of fair competition. The main objective of the document is to balance the interests of all market participants and ensure the sustainable use of forest resources while preventing deforestation and forest degradation.

Regulating just one issue — environmental impact assessment (EIA), as provided in the draft law — would increase the annual volume of timber harvesting by 1.5 million m³.

The event was organized by the NGO “FORZA” (Ukraine) in partnership with international organizations as part of the Fem2Forests project, funded by the EU. The conference served as a platform for sharing knowledge, ideas, and practices in forestry, featuring the participation of women from 15 countries.

Special attention at the conference was given to the practical aspects of forest management.

Forestry in Iceland: Little-Known but Fascinating Facts

✔ Over the last 1,000 years, Iceland’s forest cover has decreased nearly 40-fold.

At the time of the first human settlement (more than 1,150 years ago), birch forests and shrubs covered 25–40% of Iceland’s territory.

Birch woodlands provided fuel, building materials, and livestock fodder, while charcoal was a vital resource for iron smelting and toolmaking.

Like in many agrarian societies, settlers cleared forests for fields and pastures. From the 1300s, sheep farming developed rapidly. Grazing prevented the regeneration of birch after felling, and forest areas continued to shrink — becoming the key reason for Iceland’s dramatic deforestation. By the 19th century, forests covered less than 1% of the country.

✔ Over the past century, Iceland’s forest area has doubled.

Uncontrolled logging ended in the early 20th century. In 1907, the Forest and Soil Conservation Act was adopted, and a year later, the Icelandic Forest Service (IFS) was established — it still operates today.

Currently, the forestry sector is structured as follows: the Icelandic Forest Service, under the Ministry for the Environment, manages the National Forests (about 5% of all forests) — protected birch woodlands, cultivated stands, and experimental plots. The rest belong to associations of private landowners and farmers, who plant forests on degraded lands. Importantly, the landowner remains both the owner and caretaker of the forest.

IFS has planted about half of all trees in the country, mainly in National Forests, maintaining up to six nurseries across different regions. After 1990, nurseries were privatized. Today, IFS plants up to 100 hectares of forest annually.

Since 1973, IFS has provided grants to farmers for afforestation on their lands, covering up to 97% of costs.

Most private landowners are members of the Icelandic Forestry Association, founded in 1930, which focuses on reforestation projects funded by international donors.

Currently, the association includes over 60 landowners, collectively planting 3–4 million seedlings per year.

According to scientists, since 1950, Iceland’s forest and woodland area has doubled. Natural birch forests now cover 1,506 km² (1.5% of the country), while cultivated forests add another 400 km², totaling around 1.9–2.0% of Iceland’s territory.

Although progress has been limited by land constraints, a shortage of workers, and insufficient funding, since the 1990s forests have been expanding by 1,500 hectares per year — meaning it would take over 70 years to increase forest cover by 1%.

In 2013, Iceland adopted its Forestry Strategy extending to the end of the 21st century, with the goal of reaching at least 12% forest cover by 2100.

To achieve this, the IFS launched the National Forestry Program in 2017, which includes initiatives such as:

support for private landowners and farmers in planting and maintaining forests,

a state program for restoring degraded lands through afforestation,

and a policy for land reclamation and reforestation through 2031.

✔ Despite limited resources, the forestry industry is developing.

Local markets are now partly supplied with domestic wood. For example, birch firewood is sold for heating or electricity production.

✔ A significant share of forestry and related work in Iceland is performed by women!

After Iceland gained independence in 1944, women’s associations became a foundation of its social policy.

Today, women are involved in all sectors of society, including forestry.

One notable organization is “Skógarkonur” (“Forest Women”), established to increase women’s participation in the forestry sector and promote their interests.

Today, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 1316, which introduced amendments to the Procedure for Implementing the Experimental Project on Issuing Special Permits for the Use of Forest Resources in Electronic Form.

From now on, the reorganization of a forest user (through transformation) is not a reason to refuse the issuance of a logging ticket.

Once again, the panic rumors and forecasts about the consequences of forest sector reform are not confirmed!

There is clear coordination and an agreed action plan between the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Ukraine, the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, and SFE “Forests of Ukraine.” All issues arising during the reform process are resolved promptly and constructively.

We sincerely thank everyone who supports our enterprise on this challenging path of transformation.

Starting from October, the enterprise has suspended the sale of non-industrial firewood to commercial contractors. Such wood is no longer offered at auctions in order to maintain a reserve for the needs of the population and social institutions.

The daily volume of firewood harvesting has increased to 10,000 m³!

Currently, around 150,000 m³ of fuelwood is constantly available at the warehouses of SFE “Forests of Ukraine.”

In 2024, the enterprise sold 2.38 million m³ of “social” firewood (at an average price of about UAH 1,000 per m³). This year, only 1.5 million m³ have been sold — despite ongoing calls to purchase firewood in advance, before the start of the heating season.

Until recently, demand for firewood remained relatively low (averaging 150,000 m³ per month), but as the heating season approaches, sales volumes have risen to 220,000 m³.

The enterprise has kept the price for social firewood stable, even though the market value of timber (roundwood and industrial firewood) has increased by an average of 50% this year.

For the social sector, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” has supplied 135,000 m³ of fuelwood in 2025.

Throughout the year, the enterprise’s branches have participated in over 500 public procurement tenders for approximately 200,000 m³ of wood. Additionally, 1,020 direct contracts were signed for another 60,000 m³, as below-threshold procurements with state customers, in compliance with the Law of Ukraine “On Public Procurement.”

The enterprise does not always win tenders, as in many cases the procurement involves comprehensive services including delivery, unloading, and other work. Moreover, specific requirements are often set for the wood itself — such as size, moisture content, etc.

It should also be noted that SFE “Forests of Ukraine” manages only two-thirds of the forest fund, while municipal forestry enterprises and other forest users also sell firewood.

Furthermore, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” is ready to supply industrial firewood to thermal power generation facilities at official price list rates.

The largest state forest enterprise in the country will be transformed into a joint stock company.

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:

1.Who will oversee JSC “Forests of Ukraine”?

This issue will be regulated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. “Forests of Ukraine” is not only about timber harvesting and sales. During the corporatization process, the enterprise will retain its functions of forest protection and security — the State Forest Guard will continue to operate as part of the company.

2.Why does the company need external financing?

Corporatization opens the possibility of attracting funding from international donors. Several key areas for investment are currently under consideration.

One of the most pressing issues for “Forests of Ukraine” is the modernization of firefighting equipment.

Over the past two years, the enterprise has purchased and equipped a large number of mobile fire modules based on pickup trucks, which have helped save Ukrainian forests from severe fires despite constant shelling and drone or missile attacks. However, renewal of the fleet of large fire trucks is now urgently needed.

The company also needs dozens of units of equipment for mechanized logging and processing of logging residues. In Ukraine, only a few percent of harvesting is mechanized, whereas in European countries this figure exceeds 50%.

“Forests of Ukraine” is actively constructing new forest roads, which is essential for increasing harvesting volumes and reducing costs.

However, without substantial funding, it is impossible to reach the road network density of forestry enterprises in Poland, Austria, or Germany.

3.How long will the transformation take?

The transformation plan is currently under approval. The process includes inventory, preparation of a transfer act, and other required procedures — all of which may take at least one year.

4.Who will own the forests?

The state forest fund remains state property. Forests will not be included in the authorized capital of JSC “Forests of Ukraine.”

The company will remain a permanent forest user.

The market for forestry services — including logging, forest maintenance, and road construction — will continue to develop. However, 100% of the company’s shares will remain state-owned.

This reflects the European philosophy of forest management: operational work is outsourced through tenders, while planning, organization, and control remain in the hands of the state-owned company.

A total of 115.9 thousand hectares of forest care work has been completed — this represents 98% of the annual plan.

Almost all branches carried out more forest cultivation maintenance work than planned. The “Pivnichnyi Forest Office” branch became the leader, exceeding its Q3 plan by 75%.

Forest maintenance is an essential condition for the development of forest plantations. It ensures the timely transformation of plots into areas covered with forest vegetation.

Maintenance work is carried out throughout the entire growing season. The scope and duration of these activities in each region depend on forest and vegetation conditions, the biological characteristics of the tree species, soil cultivation methods, planting techniques, and the size of the planting material.

This represents an enormous amount of work. It involves soil cultivation and removal of grass and shrub vegetation that hinder the growth and development of young trees. These measures help retain soil moisture, improve light access and nutrient availability, and ultimately promote the development of healthy and resilient forests.

Almost 90% of the work is done mechanically. Soil treatment is carried out using disk harrows, cultivators, and mulchers. To clear the spaces between rows from unwanted vegetation, foresters use corridor cutters, mulchers, and brush cutters.

As a result, large areas can be treated faster and more efficiently. For example, a KANSAS-type mulcher can process 1.5–2 hectares per day, while manual methods cover less than 0.2 hectares.

According to the investment plan for this year, the enterprise will increase the number of machines used for forest cultivation and natural regeneration maintenance by 156 units.