Month: November 2025

This year, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” has conducted tenders for the procurement of goods and services totaling more than UAH 10 billion.

Top 3 largest categories:

1.Logging and related services;

2.Fuel;

3.Vehicles, machinery, spare parts and related services.

97% of the procurement budget has been channeled through tenders on Prozorro.

This is the highest indicator not only since the establishment of the enterprise, but in general in the entire history of the Ukrainian state forestry sector.

The most revolutionary changes have taken place in the procurement of logging services (let us recall that contractors harvest approximately 80% of the timber, while 20% is harvested by the enterprise’s own crews).

Before the reform, state forestry enterprises concluded direct contracts for harvesting without conducting a competitive procedure.

At present, 100% of logging services are procured via Prozorro.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 2,000 tenders have already been announced, and over 1,500 procurement procedures totaling UAH 2.7 billion have been successfully completed.

The times when some forestry enterprises purchased fuel at prices higher than its retail cost at the nearest filling station are also a thing of the past. Fuel procurement has been centralized and demonopolized: there are several suppliers selected through tender procedures. The enterprise saves up to UAH 12 on each liter of fuel.

In total, the amount of funds saved on procurement since the beginning of the year has reached UAH 700 million.

In the process of preparing tenders, the Procurement Department of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” discusses with businesses, distributors and manufacturers the key requirements for the subject of procurement, delivery terms, etc. As a result, the company’s tender conditions are adapted to market realities, which makes it possible to attract the widest possible range of participants to the bidding process.

The possibilities of granting preferences or creating “barriers” have been minimized. For example, the payment term under the contracts of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” is 10 calendar days, and we strictly adhere to it regardless of the supplier’s name.

The webinar organized by FSC Ukraine was attended by more than 100 participants, including representatives of FSC-certified forestry and wood-processing enterprises, non-governmental organizations, state authorities, certification bodies, and scientific and educational institutions.

During the webinar, representatives of FSC Ukraine informed the participants about the expected update to the FSC certification regulatory framework and about new FSC instruments in the context of Ukraine’s EU integration.

The key speakers were Oksana Pavlishchuk, Associate Professor at the Educational and Research Institute of Forestry and Landscape-Park Management of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and FSC Ukraine consultant; Yevhenii Khan, FSC Ukraine Manager; and Pavlo Kravets, FSC National Representative in Ukraine.

What is important for the certified Forestry Management Units  (nadlisnytstva) of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”?

The process of revising the FSC principles, criteria and indicators, as well as other related elements of the normative framework for FSC certification

Each country has its own specific natural conditions and forest management system. To take this specificity into account, FSC standards are developed at the national level, based on international benchmarks – the principles, criteria and indicators.

However, the process of their development must be harmonized, clear, open and transparent for all stakeholders. Therefore, the foundational documents in the FSC certification system are periodically revised. The current stage of the revision process will run until 1 January 2027.

The FSC International General Assembly has defined three key orientations for the revision of the principles, criteria and indicators: streamlining and simplification, user orientation, result orientation.

What does this mean?

✔️ FSC-certified forest managers will be encouraged to carry out forest regeneration through close-to-nature forestry practices.

✔️ The indicators will become clear, verifiable requirements for compliance with the FSC principles, which can be checked at intermediate stages.

FSC risk assessment for Ukraine as an updated element of the normative framework for FSC certification in the context of EUDR requirements

As of 30 December 2025, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will enter into force. It has been introduced to prevent raw materials that contribute to global deforestation from being placed on the EU market. Companies must demonstrate that their supply chains are not linked to illegal logging or forest degradation.

In this context, an updated risk assessment has been developed for Ukrainian FSC certificate holders – an analytical document that presents the results of assessing timber from unacceptable sources in Ukraine and recommends measures to mitigate the identified risks.

The FSC risk assessment document is based on indicators aligned with the EUDR. It contains the results of the risk assessment with differentiation of risk levels, takes into account various types of timber sources, defines measures to mitigate risks, and provides guidance on the information sources used as the basis for the risk evaluation.

It may be applied in practice not only by FSC certificate holders but also by public authorities, independent experts, certification bodies, local communities, non-governmental organizations and business sector representatives.

The planting of the symbolic “one-billionth tree” took place on the grounds of the Central Military Hospital in Kyiv. The event was joined by representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine, the Union of Forestry Warriors of Ukraine, scholars from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (NUBiP), service members and demobilised employees of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, as well as pupils of the Vyshchedubechanske school forestry.

The “Green Country” programme was launched in June 2021. The decree initiating it was signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the “Ukraine 30. Ecology” forum.

“We are launching the ‘Green Country’ project. Let me say at once—this is not a political project but a purely environmental one, for nature and the environment. We have set ourselves an ambitious yet, I am sure, achievable goal: to increase the forest area by one million hectares over ten years. To this end, in the next three years we aim to plant one billion trees in Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his address at the forum.

Over the course of the programme, more than 100,000 sites were afforested across Ukraine.

Foresters of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” established exclusively natural forests, combining species such as Scots pine, Crimean pine (Pallas’s pine), pedunculate oak, silver birch, ash, maple, beech, spruce, fir, larch, and others. The mix of coniferous and broadleaf species reduces wildfire risk and supports biodiversity.

As Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Taras Vysotskyi noted, expanding forest area counteracts the adverse effects of climate change.

“Some planted one tree, others hundreds, but together we accomplished something important—we not only planted a billion trees, we also changed society’s attitude toward forest restoration and nature conservation as a whole,” said Yurii Bolokhovets, Director General of SFE “Forests of Ukraine.”

According to Yurii Bolokhovets, the symbolic one-billionth tree chosen was the oak—a symbol of the resilience and steadfastness of the Ukrainian people. It was planted by demobilised soldier-forester Oleksandr Kotseruba together with pupils of the Vyshchedubechanske school forestry.

Over the course of the “Green Country” programme, it was not only a billion trees that were planted. These years also saw a reform of the forestry sector: management was centralised; a transparent timber sales system was established; a record amount of taxes was paid into budgets at all levels; a digital chain of custody for timber movement was introduced; and efforts to combat illegal logging were significantly strengthened.

“Most importantly, despite the war we kept the forestry sector going. It has operated and developed throughout the years of armed aggression and supported our defenders: in total, over 12,000 railcars of timber were dispatched to meet frontline needs,” said Victor Smal, Head of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine.

According to Yurii Bolokhovets, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” continues to work on the second part of the President’s programme—expanding the forest land area by 1 million hectares.

The event took place on the eve of the completion of the President’s program “Green Country”, aimed at planting one billion trees.

Students, scientists, and university leaders took part in the campaign, as well as academic teams from regional departments, Ms. Anica Djamić, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Croatia to Ukraine, and Ihor Lytsur, Executive Director of SFE “Forests of Ukraine.”

Participants planted trees in memory of those who gave their lives defending Ukraine.

To enrich the Botanical Garden’s collection, three species of pine trees were brought in, including the Balkan pine, which can live up to 1,000 years.

“The NULES Botanical Garden is a symbolic place. It was here, four years ago, that we launched the President’s ‘Green Country’ program together with the university. This autumn, ‘Forests of Ukraine’ will complete it, and in the coming days, the one-billionth tree will be planted,” said Ihor Lytsur, Executive Director of SFE ‘Forests of Ukraine’.

“The President’s ‘Green Country’ program is more relevant than ever, as the enemy has destroyed countless forests and green areas on Ukraine’s peaceful land. It is now up to Ukrainians to restore them,” noted Vadym Tkachuk, Rector of NULES.

In the regions, the initiative was supported by employees of the Berezhanske Forestry Management Unit of the Podilskyi Forest Office branch. Together with students and teachers of the Berezhany Vocational College, they planted young spruce and pine trees that will soon become part of a new green forest area.

At the “Slobozhanskyi Forest Office” branch, the results of the fire-hazard season are being summed up. This year has been a challenging one for the Kharkiv region. Despite constant threats caused by the proximity to the combat zone, the border with Russia, and the high level of mine contamination, forestry workers made great efforts to extinguish even the smallest fires as quickly as possible and to save the forests from destruction.

Thanks to the dedicated work of the foresters of the SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, this year the total area affected by fires in the region has been significantly reduced. Compared to last year, the burned area decreased 6.5 times! Since the beginning of the year, employees of the branch in the Kharkiv region have extinguished 305 fires covering 2,072 hectares. For comparison, last year the burned area in the region exceeded 13,350 hectares.

A significant portion of all fires in the Kharkiv region are the result of constant Russian shelling.

Due to the high level of mine contamination and, in most cases, the lack of access to forest areas, even the smallest fire can quickly spread over a large territory.

Currently, more than 170,000 hectares of forest in the Kharkiv region remain mined and inaccessible, including over 144,000 hectares in the Iziumske Forestry Management Unit . Since the beginning of this year, fires there have affected 1,819 hectares, which is more than seven times less compared to last year!

After the Iziumske Forestry Management Unit joined “Forests of Ukraine” in March of this year, the company provided the district with the necessary equipment: pickup trucks with fire-fighting modular units, new fire hoses, and backpack extinguishers. This equipment allows fire crews to respond quickly and extinguish fires in accessible and safe areas.

Firefighting in this zone remains a daily challenge and a tremendous danger. Almost every operation requires the involvement of sappers and close cooperation with pyrotechnic units.

Despite all the threats, the foresters continue to show heroic dedication every day, fighting fires under the difficult conditions of wartime to preserve the forests of the region.

In the Sumy region, as part of the President’s program “Green Country”, foresters from the Pivnichnyi Forest Office branch joined students from the Neskuchanske School Forestry to plant a young forest.

The students of this school forestry are active participants in the FOREST KIDS TikTok project — an initiative by the communications team of SFE “Forests of Ukraine.”

They film short videos right in the forest, showing what life in a school forestry looks like from the inside and how exciting it can be to explore nature.

Graduates Vanya and Pasha also came to help with the planting. Although they are now university students, they happily return to their school forestry to spend time in nature and share their experience with younger students — just as the foresters once did with them.

Myroslava and Katya recorded several TikTok videos on site to show their followers how amazing it feels to be in the forest and to create new forests with your own hands. Everyone that day planted their own tree.

While her friends were planting, Vlada, another school forestry member, enjoyed a cup of hot forest tea from a thermal mug she received from “Forests of Ukraine” for her participation in FOREST KIDS.

And yes — that’s part of the process too: to pause, look around, and truly feel that the forest is right beside you.

In the Vorotniv Botanical Reserve, located within the Kivertsivske Forestry Management Unit of the Polissia Forest Office branch, another event was held as part of the eco-rehabilitation program implemented by SFE “Forests of Ukraine.” This program brings together businesses, volunteer groups, and civic organizations around a shared idea of rehabilitation through nature.

This time, the guests of the reserve were participants from the “Source of Life” Center for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, a public organization. The event was organized in support of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska’s initiative on barrier-free accessibility, and thanks to a partnership with “Misto.cafe”, the first social-impact café in Lutsk.

The autumn day in the forest became a wonderful opportunity for communication, relaxation, and discovery.

Young people with disabilities and their parents visited the Forestry Youth Center, where director Valentyna Yukhymchuk led a tour and shared stories about the natural uniqueness of the reserve.

Participants also met Volodymyr Lev, a veteran and canine specialist of the National Guard of Ukraine, who introduced his therapy dogs that assist in psychological rehabilitation.

Another fascinating part of the program was a meeting with Ihor Burenko, a war veteran and Acting Director of the Volyn Regional Center for National Resistance Training. He spoke about the basics of drone operation, elements of military gear, and even allowed participants to try on a bulletproof vest.

Such events demonstrate how forest recreation areas can serve not only as spaces for leisure, but also as places for rehabilitation, integration, and education.

The event was made even warmer thanks to the support of “Tsukor” café, a successful example of a veteran-owned business, which treated participants to hot herbal tea and sweet treats.

In European forestry companies, digital instruments are used to precisely record the coordinates of harvest sites scheduled for harvesting. The key difference from analogue devices is the rapid, highly accurate delineation of work boundaries (to within a few centimetres) for harvest-site layout and timber-cruising crews.

In particular, a GNSS receiver picks up signals from multiple satellites. Based on these signals, it calculates the coordinates of the point where the receiver is located. The more satellites the receiver “sees” and the better the signal quality, the higher the accuracy.

At present, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” forestry management units have around 90 GNSS receivers, which does not fully cover the needs of the field crews responsible for harvest-site layout.

In some forestry management units, obsolete instruments – bussoles (survey compasses) – are still used when designating sites for felling. All data are recorded by hand on paper, which in turn introduces additional risks when measuring the site.

Therefore, last week SFE “Forests of Ukraine” announced two tenders to procure 134 GNSS receivers. This is the first centralised purchase of such devices.

The GNSS receivers will be adapted to operate in challenging field conditions. They run on the Trimble platform, providing accuracy of up to 2 cm and not requiring ground base stations for differential corrections. These receivers are being procured for the Karpatskyi, Pivnichnyi, Podilskyi, Poliskyi, and Tsentralnyi Forest Offices.

41 GNSS receivers are being procured for the Pivdennyi, Slobozhanskyi, Skhidnyi, and Stolychnyi Forest Offices. They will use a network of ground base stations that provide differential corrections to the satellite data.

What additional advantages do GNSS receivers provide?

Automated record-keeping. All data appear immediately in digital form and can be uploaded right away.

Convenient visualization. The site can be viewed on screen instantly, with support for online maps. The operator can define the survey boundaries.

Eliminating human error. Most measurements and coordinate capture are performed automatically rather than manually.

All data will be synchronised with internal record-keeping systems. The new equipment will ensure greater process transparency, enhance control, and save staff time.

Rakhivske Forestry Management Unit of the Karpatskyi Forest Office branch has now been officially certified to sell timber harvested in accordance with the principles of sustainable forest management!

At the beginning of 2025, the enterprise underwent a reorganization of its structure, during which the main management functions were transferred to an enlarged branch — the Forestry Management Unit. These organizational changes required re-certification from the branch to the district level.

The process began immediately after the actual transformation of the branches into forestry districts. The audits assessing compliance with the principles of sustainable Forestry Management Unit were conducted by independent auditing companies — SGS Ukraine, Legallis LLC, and Preferred by Nature F.M.B.A.

Those units that incorporated already certified forestry management units went through the re-certification process in a very short time — typically, the audit lasted only a few days. However, when forestry management units included both certified and non-certified areas, the procedure took a bit longer.

The assessment was carried out in accordance with national standards, legislation, and international agreements. A key component of the process remains transparency — involving stakeholders, informing the public, and ensuring open decision-making.

Currently, SFE“Forests of Ukraine” has restored FSC certification on 98.9% of its previously certified forest area.

Maintaining and expanding FSC-certified areas is one of the top priorities of the enterprise. The presence of an FSC certificate confirms that forest products come from forests managed according to the principles of sustainable, continuous, and environmentally responsible use.

The FSC certificate serves as a gateway to international environmentally sensitive markets. It enhances trust in Ukrainian enterprises and enables domestic wood processors to successfully compete internationally.

In the FSC international database, wood processing companies can verify which forestry districts of “Forests of Ukraine” hold valid certificates and sell certified products. Information about certified forestry districts is also available on the company’s official website.

The brigade has been carrying out combat missions since 2014. Its soldiers have fought on the Ukrainian-Russian border, near Donetsk and Luhansk. Since 2022, they have defended the Kyiv region and taken part in the Kharkiv and Kherson counteroffensive operations. For their successful battles, the brigade was personally commended by the President.

The brigade is armed with some of the best long-range Western artillery systems — 155 mm guns with a range of up to 60 km — including the Swedish Archer and the German Panzerhaubitze 2000, as well as the 203 mm Pion self-propelled gun.

These powerful self-propelled artillery units deliver large explosive charges capable of destroying fortified, armored, and large-scale targets often beyond the reach of small strike UAVs.

Such artillery systems are operated by skilled and highly experienced professionals who understand their construction, know how to service them quickly, and are well-versed in their operating principles.

Currently, the brigade’s artillerymen are carrying out missions almost along the entire front line. Given the intensity of the fighting, self-propelled guns must be protected. Even 20 km from the front line, the artillery is kept under cover. They drive out, fire, and quickly return to their shelters.

To conceal their equipment reliably, the soldiers build special shelters — dugouts known as caponiers. These are dug using excavators. Therefore, each artillery battery needs at least one excavator. The demand for them is constant since enemy drones continuously target and disable not only military equipment but also construction machinery.

The brigade turned to the management of our enterprise for help with such equipment. Last week, the head of SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, Yurii Bolokhovets, personally handed over several excavators and the keys to a Nissan X-Trail crossover.

This equipment had been in the enterprise’s use — it is fully functional and in excellent condition. We understand that it is now urgently needed by the Armed Forces. We provided as much as we could spare. If we were to purchase through a Prozorro public tender, it would take time — and on the front line, delays are unacceptable.

For equipment that will be needed by the military in the longer term, we make purchases. Recently, we provided the 43rd Artillery Brigade with five trailers for transporting self-propelled guns worth over 29 million UAH. The procurement was conducted through a tender with four participants, saving over 3 million UAH. The trailers are Ukrainian-made and adapted for transporting Western artillery systems.

During the handover of the excavators, the soldiers tested the trailers before sending them to the front line. A Pion self-propelled gun weighing nearly 50 tons and 3.4 meters wide was driven onto one of them. The test was successful. Now, self-propelled guns can be moved from one sector of the front to another within a single day.