Month: October 2025

Andriy Tarasyuk has worked in the forestry sector for over 20 years. Before the war, he was a machine operator at the Starovyzhivske Forestry Management Subunit of the Kovelske Forestry Management Unit, SFE “Forests of Ukraine.” He lived a normal life with his wife and two sons.

After the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, as a reserve soldier, he received a call-up notice and joined the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade. He served in the engineering and sapper platoon, working on mining and building fortifications. His service took him across Volyn, Rivne, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions, helping to halt the enemy’s advance.

“When we were deployed to the Kupiansk direction, the situation gradually worsened. Most of Kharkiv region had been liberated, but on the other side of the Oskil River, the enemy felt secure. Many russian mercenaries regrouped there from the liberated territories. In May 2023, our positions were surrounded. Enemy assaults continued constantly. We ran out of ammunition. One day, russians stormed our position — they immediately shot two of my comrades and took the rest of us captive,” recalls Andriy.

The captured soldiers, with their hands and eyes tied, were taken to a nearby village. FSB officers arrived for interrogation.

“They asked if there were foreigners in our units, who my family was, and why I joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. When they got no useful information, they started torturing me with electric shocks.”

Later, the prisoners were transferred to the Belgorod region, to a large filtration camp surrounded by kilometers of barbed wire. There were more guards than prisoners. For several days, Andriy worked in a labor brigade — making furniture and unloading firewood without pay. He recalls that food was scarce — mostly instant potato powder.

“On June 27, we were transferred to a detention center. Once a week we were allowed to shower. For entertainment, they played russian news radio. They gave us ‘electrotherapy days’ — torturing us with electric shocks for no reason. Often, the guards were drunk. They said it was just because I’m Ukrainian — and that people like me shouldn’t exist.”

Andriy’s final destination in the endless chain of Russian detention centers was Smolensk region. There, he witnessed young Ukrainian soldiers — barely 20 years old — being beaten nearly unconscious.

“As cynical as it sounds, priests from the Russian Orthodox Church would visit us on religious holidays. They said they came ‘on assignment from Vladimir himself.’ They threw us a few Easter cakes and told us that suicide was a great sin.”

In May 2024, Andriy’s name appeared on the prisoner exchange list. When the freed Ukrainian POWs crossed the Belarus–Ukraine border on foot into the Chernihiv region, Andriy said he felt boundless joy — stepping onto Ukrainian soil again was like being born a second time.

Over the next few months, Andriy underwent rehabilitation in Vinnytsia and at the Volyn Regional Veterans Hospital. Throughout this time, his colleagues supported him — visiting the hospital, helping with treatment, and assisting his family. While he was in captivity, they provided his family with firewood for heating, repaired the roof of his home, and on Forestry Workers’ Day, his wife received his professional award in his name.

Now, his military unit has extended his leave for continued treatment, and demobilization may follow.

Andriy admits he can no longer perform heavy physical labor. He planned to return to the forestry enterprise after demobilization just to formally resign, though he dearly wishes to stay with his team. The Polissia Forest Office branch is ready to offer him another position.

Caring for demobilized soldiers will always remain a priority for SFE “Forests of Ukraine.”

Last week, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” adopted the Strategy for Close-to-Nature forestry. Effective implementation of this Strategy requires changes in approaches and thinking among foresters, including additional staff training.

A key goal is the gradual transition from traditional clear-cutting practices to selective and gradual logging, forming uneven-aged forest structures over time.

The approach to close-to-nature forestry varies depending on forest type. Pine forests, for example, require different methods than broadleaf or mixed stands, primarily due to species biology and forest growth conditions.

According to scientists, during the first 3–5 years of transitioning to close-to-nature forestry, efforts should focus on forestry education and training, the creation of demonstration plots, and training programs in every region.

One of the most effective methods for teaching and practicing various approaches to close-to-nature forestry is the establishment of educational and research plots known as “marteloscopes.”

Their main purpose is to enable simulation of different silvicultural interventions — such as thinning, final felling, or stand restructuring — without any actual impact on the forest.

What does this method involve?

✔️ Creating a digital map of the plot.

Each tree receives its own coordinates and a detailed description of dendrometric indicators (height, diameter, species, condition, and other characteristics). This approach combines field observations with digital tools for analyzing and visualizing forest stands.

✔️ Establishing marteloscopes.

They are set up in demonstration forest plots that best represent the properties of a given stand. The standard area is 1 hectare, and site selection depends on the training objectives.

✔️ Conducting practical training.

With complete data for each tree, participants can perform practical exercises — selecting trees for felling, assessing the impact of their decisions on forest structure, productivity, and ecological condition.

The first training sessions for foresters took place in the Carpathian region. Over the summer, 200 foresters from the Carpathian branch participated in hands-on exercises on six marteloscope plots established by scientists from Ukrainian National Forestry University (UNFU).

They learned how to plan stand transformation cuts, describe plots, select trees for harvesting, and transform even-aged (pure and mixed) stands into uneven-aged, mixed forests.

By the end of the year, specialists from the Boyarka Forest Research Station (a separate division of NULES), commissioned by SFE “Forests of Ukraine,” will develop projects for creating demonstration plots in the Polissia forests (Poliskyi, Stolychnyi, and Pivnichnyi Forest Offices).

In the Carpathian forests, new demonstration plots will be developed by the Ukrainian Research Institute of Mountain Forestry named after P.S. Pasternak.

Prices remain at last year’s level, and purchasing is simple and fast — just visit your nearest forestry unit or place an order by phone.

Ivan Huliuk from Volyn comes to his local forestry every year to buy firewood. He says it’s a familiar routine: it’s cheaper than gas, convenient since he has his own transport, and traditional — his parents used to do the same. At the industrial depot, employees of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” quickly loaded five cubic meters of wood, prepared the necessary documents, and the man headed home. He says this amount will last him almost half the winter.

Buying firewood today is as easy as it gets. At each forestry unit, staff will help you choose the right volume and wood species, and you can even order by phone — all contact information is available on the SFE “Forests of Ukraine” website in the “Buy Firewood” section. Industrial depots are organized so that customers don’t need to go into the forest — everything is nearby, fast, official, and without queues.

Demand remains steadily high as the cold season begins. People most often purchase hardwood species — hornbeam, oak, birch, and alder. For example, in the Volyn and Rivne regions, more than 138.4 thousand m³ of firewood have already been sold this year to households and the social sector. The available stock is sufficient to ensure a stable and uninterrupted heating season.

Prices remain at last year’s level: pine — about 940 UAH/m³, birch — 990 UAH/m³, hornbeam — 1,140 UAH/m³, oak — 1,320 UAH/m³, and split firewood — approximately 2,300 UAH/m³. The difference depends on the delivery point and assortment, but overall, prices remain stable and affordable.

REVENUE, PROFITABILITY, TAXES

The revenue from product sales increased from UAH 17.3 billion to UAH 21.7 billion compared to January–September 2024.

Half of the funds were transferred to budgets at all levels — this year, the enterprise increased its tax payments by almost 70%, reaching UAH 10.7 billion.

The average salaries of forestry workers increased from UAH 22.2 thousand in 2023 to UAH 28.8 thousand in 2025. The salaries of operational staff (foresters, assistant foresters, site managers, drivers, etc.) were increased in several stages. However, due to reorganization and the reduction of the administrative apparatus, the total payroll expenses have remained almost unchanged: compared to 2023, the wage fund of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” increased by approximately 1.5%.

Due to increased revenue from product sales, significant savings on procurement, and cost optimization, profitability rose from 14.8% to 28.6% compared to the previous year.

HARVESTING

In September, the volume of harvested timber reached the highest level in the past five months. The harvesting output amounted to 1.07–1.1 million cubic meters per month.

The market situation is stable: buyers pay for the purchased products and receive them on time. The fulfillment of auction contracts for timber supply exceeds 90%, and taking into account buyers’ refusals — 97%. A significant share of refusals comes from the frontline, eastern, and northern regions, where the risks of harvesting or product delivery have increased.

The fulfillment of six-month forward contracts is almost 100%.

It should be noted that a “refusal” usually means that the buyer did not collect only a certain percentage of the contracted volume. Contracts with no deliveries at all account for less than one percent of the quarterly sales volume.

The company’s timber stock at the end of the quarter is the lowest since the beginning of the year (550 thousand m³).

FIREWOOD FOR HOUSEHOLDS AND THE SOCIAL SECTOR

The harvesting of firewood for households remains at the level of the previous year. Demand has increased; however, no signs of panic buying have been observed. In September, more than 300 thousand m³ of firewood were harvested, and by the end of the year it is planned to harvest an additional over 900 thousand m³, creating a strategic reserve for the winter period.

Exchange prices for firewood have increased significantly since last year. For households and the social sector, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” maintains socially oriented prices at a stable level.

The average price of firewood across Ukraine, as in the previous year, is approximately UAH 1,000–1,100 per cubic meter

More than 100 participants took part in the scientific and practical seminar “Expert and Consulting Support for Responsible Forest Management”, organized by FSC Ukraine. Among the key speakers were Associate Professor Oksana Pavlishchuk, consultant for FSC Ukraine and lecturer at the Institute of Forestry and Horticultural Management of NULES, representatives of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, NGOs “Forest Initiatives and Society”, WWF-Ukraine, FORZA, researchers from the Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration named after G.M. Vysotsky, and representatives of certification bodies.

The seminar was aimed at strengthening expert and consulting support for responsible forest management in accordance with the FSC Forest Management Standard for Ukraine. Participants discussed the essence and importance of expert and consulting assistance in this field.

Currently, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” is the largest forest user in the country. The total area of certified forests amounts to 4.7 million hectares, 96.4% of which are managed by the State Forest Resources Agency (SFE “Forests of Ukraine”).

In the territories of Forestry Management Units that have received FSC certification, there must be rare species, high conservation value areas, and representative plots. These areas are excluded from economic use and are protected and maintained in their natural state to preserve ecosystem values.

Accordingly, research and monitoring of rare species, high conservation values (HCVs), and representative plots are among the key areas where SFE “Forests of Ukraine” engages expert support.

“In the field of forest certification, three projects were submitted this year for developing methodologies to conserve representative HCV areas. Two of these are being developed by specialists from the Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration, and one by scientists from NULES of Ukraine. These projects are extremely relevant, as they will allow adaptation of specific measures to different forest vegetation zones,”

said Halyna Domashovets, Head of the Forest Certification Sector of the Forestry Department at SFE “Forests of Ukraine”.

What do the engaged experts do during consultations and fieldwork?

✔️ Identify high conservation values, precisely delineate and map the areas where they are located.

✔️ Assess the status of rare species populations and the threats they face.

✔️ Based on identified threats, develop strategies and propose conservation and management measures.

✔️ Develop monitoring methods for the condition of identified rare species populations, habitats, and HCV areas.

✔️ Conduct practical training for certification specialists within company branches, who will serve as internal consultants for certified forest districts.

“The discussions demonstrated significant progress in recognizing the importance of developing expert and consulting environments to ensure compliance with the FSC standard in Ukraine. This activity is increasingly seen as an integral part of the systemic work of forestry professionals and of the continuous improvement of forest management systems,”

emphasized Pavlo Kravets, National Representative of FSC in Ukraine.

According to NULES researchers, such studies will help meet public expectations for maintaining a balance between environmental and economic components, and contribute to changing traditional forest management approaches.

Liliia Bubenko is one of those who decided to follow in the footsteps of her father, forester Serhii Bubenko, who had worked in the forestry sector since 2011 as an excavator operator at the Pyrniv Forest Fire Station of the Dymer Forestry Enterprise. Since May 2022, Serhii has been defending our country. Now, this forest ranger–turned-soldier is responsible for organizing, maintaining, and protecting communication between the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Liliia remembers visiting her father’s workplace as a child. He showed her how the fire station was organized, and she immediately understood how important his work was.

“My father was literally a savior of the forest. He often worked in dangerous conditions, helping extinguish forest fires. Using his excavator, he created barriers to contain the fire and cleared areas to prevent it from spreading further. He worked to prevent new fires from breaking out. If my father used to save forests from fires, now he’s saving the country from the enemy — and I’m very proud of him,” Liliia says.

However, Liliia decided to become a forester later, after joining her school’s forestry club. There she learned the basics of forestry, botany, and zoology.

“We didn’t just study theory — we saw how everything works in real conditions. We were taught how to grow seedlings and plant them, studied different types of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants that grow in forests, learned about forest animals and their role in the ecosystem, and took part in national school forestry gatherings. It was truly fascinating and educational.”

Liliia believes that the school forestry club gave her all the necessary knowledge and skills that helped her enroll at university. She is now a first-year student at NULES, majoring in Forestry.

“We’re currently studying subjects like professional training fundamentals and botany. It’s easy for me to study because I gained a lot of knowledge in the school forestry club and understand what the lecturers are talking about.”

After graduation, Liliia dreams of working at State Forest Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” and has already chosen her desired position — Forest Management Engineer.

“I enjoy caring for forest crops, cultivating them, and protecting them from diseases and pests. It’s a very important position — without it, the forest wouldn’t receive proper care.”

This summer, Liliia is already preparing to come to us for her internship and demonstrate her skills in real work. We are eagerly waiting for her, because practice is the first step toward a professional career in forestry. Everyone who successfully completes it is invited to join our team.

“Although forestry is often considered a male profession, I believe this field is open to everyone who wants to combine a love for nature, care for the environment, and the opportunity to improve forest management,” Liliia concludes.

The International Scientific and Practical Conference OSHAgro-2025, organized by NULES, brought together over 250 participants online this year. Among them were scientists, Members of Parliament, representatives of the International Labour Organization, the Ministry of Economy, the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, representatives of the Occupational Safety and Civil Protection Department of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, and many others.

The main topic of discussion was legislative requirements for occupational safety and practical aspects of managing professional risks at enterprises. Lawmakers are preparing to adopt Draft Law No. 10147 “On the Safety and Health of Workers at Work”, which has a Euro-integration focus and is based on EU directives establishing principles of workplace risk management. The key goal of the bill is to reduce occupational injuries and fatalities.

Ukrainian enterprises are now preparing to transition to new standards. Employers must assess risks in advance, plan and implement measures to minimize or eliminate them. These requirements are also in line with the international occupational safety standard ISO 45001.

Representatives of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” shared their experience in risk-oriented approaches to workplace safety. A working group was established to develop occupational safety regulations that comply with new requirements and international standards.

Since last autumn, the enterprise has launched pilot projects for production control, which have been fully implemented across all branches since April this year. Checklists have been introduced at forestry work sites, and workplaces are inspected according to compliance criteria.

A risk map has been implemented to identify the acceptability of compliance criteria and allow timely preventive measures.

A procedure for managing occupational risks has also been approved. This is a continuous, multi-stage process involving feedback from employees. The procedure provides for regular training and simulation of potential situations before work begins, which helps to improve compliance with occupational safety requirements.

Work is also underway to ensure that contractor organizations comply with the new occupational safety standards.

Participants of the conference highly appreciated the achievements of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” in implementing risk-oriented approaches to workplace safety, particularly the developed risk map and risk management procedures. The event proved to be an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences in preventing workplace injuries and to adopt the best practices from other organizations.

The company continues to replace outdated Soviet-era machinery with modern and powerful equipment. It has purchased new tractors, attachments, and tractor semi-trailers with hydraulic manipulators for loading and transporting timber for the “Slobozhansky Forestry Office” branch.

Over the past two years, 11 tractors and 10 logging semi-trailers have been purchased for forestry and other operations within the branch. According to foresters, such equipment not only helps to complete all assigned tasks on time and efficiently, but also significantly reduces company expenses.

Using the tractors, foresters perform a wide range of tasks — from creating and maintaining firebreaks, soil preparation, and forest crop care to timber transportation, loading and unloading operations, and more.

For example, the Vasyshchivske Forestry Management Subunit in the Kharkiv region recently acquired a modern tractor and a new semi-trailer. Previously, the forestry relied on vehicles from neighboring forestries located at least 35 kilometers away. This caused long waiting times for equipment and led to significant transportation costs.

Now, the forestry can perform all tasks on-site and on time with its own machinery, saving at least 30,000 UAH per month on logistics alone!

Thanks to this, the forestry has no residual timber left in the forest and saves both time and substantial costs on fuel, lubricants, and maintenance.

SFE “Forests of Ukraine” continues to purchase new equipment for forestries across the country as part of its corporate investment program. Every new unit of machinery represents another step toward greater operational efficiency for the enterprise.

In the Donetske Forestry Management Unit, due to constant enemy shelling, foresters have lost access to the Krasnolymanske Forestry Management Subunit. It has also become dangerous to work in the Drobyshevske and Krasnopilske Forestries Management Subunits.

Currently, the “Skhidnyi Forest Office” branch is evacuating equipment and documentation from the frontline forestries to the Novomoskovske Forestry Management Subunit in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Several units of firefighting equipment have been left in the Slovianske Forestry Management Subunit to enable rapid response to potential forest fires.

The evacuation of employees’ families from the frontline areas is also ongoing, and foresters are being offered relocation to the Dnipropetrovsk region. All employees continue to receive their salaries.

For safety reasons, all forestry operations have been suspended. Local residents will be supplied with firewood from the neighboring forestries in Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions.

Today, another meeting between business representatives, authorities, and foresters took place in Lviv, initiated by a group of Members of Parliament. The issues discussed have already been repeatedly raised during similar meetings in other regions.

The main concern of wood processors remains the rising prices, which have been increasing almost every quarter since the beginning of the year. However, this year SFE “Forests of Ukraine” offered businesses a risk-hedging tool — forward contracts with fixed prices. In total, the company offered almost 2 million m³ of timber for half-year trading. Interestingly, during the first such auctions at the end of last year, 16% of the timber offered remained unsold (including nearly 30% of industrial firewood). Therefore, there was an opportunity to fix prices and work steadily, but not all businesses took advantage of it in time.

Currently, in the Lviv region, the share of buyers who have declined contracted timber is only 4%. In other words, the current price level is market-based: businesses continue to purchase timber, and warehouse stockpiles are not increasing.

As for harvesting volumes, some meeting participants emphasized that Ukraine should aim for levels comparable to Germany or Poland.

However, harvesting in Ukrainian forests is strictly regulated by legislation and normative acts, and its increase does not depend on the operational efficiency of SFE “Forests of Ukraine.” Every year, environmental requirements become stricter, while permitting procedures grow more complex and costly.

SFE “Forests of Ukraine” manages 64% of the forests in the Lviv region, of which over 83,000 hectares are forests with restricted use (nature conservation, scientific, or historical-cultural purposes). For example, in the largest Lvivske Forestry Management Unit of SFE “Forests of Ukraine,” only 40% of the forests are designated for commercial use.

The share of exploitable forests is gradually decreasing. Over the past few years, the number of protected areas (PAs) within the company’s forestry units in the Lviv region has increased by almost one-third. The resource potential is also reduced by frequent changes to legislation and regulations over the past 5–7 years — what was permitted yesterday is often prohibited today.

Naturally, this affects harvesting volumes. Nevertheless, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” manages to maintain stability.

In 2020, the volume of main-use logging in state forestry enterprises of the region was 441,000 m³, while in 2024, it reached 450,000 m³. A slight decline this year occurred due to two factors:

A reduction in sanitary felling, the purpose of which (as a reminder) is to improve forest health, not to supply raw materials.

Changes in the regulatory framework for reformation felling — such operations can resume only after updated forest management plans are approved.

It is also worth noting that before the reform, 15% of harvested wood in Lviv’s state forestries was used for their own processing, amounting to about 120–130 thousand m³. Today, the volume of timber offered for sale has not only not decreased but actually increased compared to the pre-reform period. Hence, there are no objective reasons for dramatizing the situation.

SFE “Forests of Ukraine” is using every available opportunity to ensure wood processors have access to resources. The Carpathian branch is currently updating forest management plans, most of which will expire in 2025–2026. However, nearly all forest users, as confirmed by Lviv regional authorities, admit facing difficulties in getting them approved.

This year, the company has also begun training staff to transition to modern forest management practices — close-to-nature forestry. Long-term research by Ukrainian scientists has shown that introducing such technologies could increase the annual wood stock growth from 5 to 12 m³ per hectare. According to the State Forest Agency, this could eventually yield an additional 1.5 million m³ of resources while preserving forests.

However, close-to-nature forestry requires significant investment in road infrastructure and specialized equipment. Large-scale funding and international donor support can only be attracted through the corporatization of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, a process that has already begun.