Branch «Pivdennyi Forest Office» of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” to create 300 hectares of new forests this year

The Pivdennyi Forest Office branch of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” is actively preparing for the autumn reforestation campaign. This season will be special, as it marks the completion of the first stage of the President’s “Green Country” program, which aims to plant 1 billion trees.

Since 2021, more than 59 million trees have already been planted in southern Ukraine — most of them since 2023, following the launch of the forest reform. The total area of newly created forest plantations now amounts to 8,155.7 hectares.

This year, the plan is to plant an additional 3.4 million seedlings in the southern regions. They will grow not only in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, but also on the de-occupied territories of Kherson region.

The main goal of this season is the creation of new forests — on a total area of 300 hectares that previously had no forest cover.

For southern Ukraine, the creation of new forests is especially important, as this region has the lowest forest cover in the country and is prone to drought, erosion, and desertification. Trees protect the soil, retain moisture, improve the microclimate, and support biodiversity.

To grow forests in such challenging southern conditions, the branch is producing its own planting material.

Currently, seedlings are being cultivated on more than 45 hectares. Some of them grow in controlled environments (greenhouses and planting boxes), while the rest are grown in open-field forest nurseries. Both traditional planting stock and container-grown seedlings with closed root systems — which have a higher survival rate — are being used.

In the first half of the year, foresters have already collected over 11 tons of seeds of the main forest-forming species. Despite a difficult year in terms of seed yield, in the third quarter, they also managed to harvest over 1,800 kg of stone-fruit species seeds.

Planting will begin as soon as favorable weather conditions arrive in the region. The best time is after the first autumn rains, when the soil is sufficiently moist and loose. The optimal air temperature for planting is between +8 and +12°C — conditions under which seedlings have the highest chances of quick establishment and can successfully begin the growth of a new forest.