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The Sloviansk, Lyman, and Velykoanadol forestry and hunting enterprises are completing the process of officially transitioning to SE “Forests of Ukraine.” They will be merged into the Donetsk Forestry District under the “Eastern Forestry Office” branch.

What circumstances led to this?

Russian aggression in Donbas has lasted for over 11 years. With the full-scale invasion, the situation has worsened dramatically. On newly occupied territories, the invaders have been conducting mass logging and exporting timber abroad by rail and sea.

In total, 133,000 hectares of forest in Donetsk region have been affected by the war, of which 87,400 hectares are under temporary occupation.

The greatest problem for local foresters is landmines. Around 50,800 hectares are potentially contaminated with explosive devices — practically the entire territory of the Lyman and Sloviansk forestries. Most of the Velykoanadol forestry (20,500 hectares) is occupied. Thanks to the efforts of State Emergency Service (SES) demining units and local authorities, 1,700 hectares have already been cleared. As a result, last year the Sloviansk forestry carried out forest maintenance cuts, selling over 18,000 m³ of firewood and a small share of sawlogs for the social sector and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

However, large mined areas and constant shelling make it impossible for foresters to effectively fight forest fires. Last year alone, more than 4,500 hectares of forest burned in the Lyman forestry. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the total area of forest fires across these forestries has exceeded 10,000 hectares. The exact number is currently impossible to calculate.

Firefighting is further complicated by the lack of equipment and infrastructure. During the 2022 occupation, the Lyman forestry completely lost its firefighting equipment — stolen by Russian forces. The occupiers also destroyed video surveillance towers, monitoring posts, and the early forest fire detection system.

The timber processing workshop, forest nursery, and seed selection center were partially destroyed. All facilities belonging to the seed selection center were completely ruined. Nearly all forestry buildings were demolished.

Proximity to the frontline has also caused a staff shortage. Currently, all three forestries together employ about 70 workers (mostly from Sloviansk). Those who live nearby store the remaining machinery in their own yards: 10 tractors, 3 forest fire modules, and 4 fire trucks. Dozens of other foresters and their families have evacuated to safer regions.

What will the newly integrated forestries receive?

Enhanced demining efforts in cooperation with local authorities, SES, and potential investors.

Delivery of necessary firefighting equipment.

Preparation for the autumn reforestation campaign — assistance with seedlings, restoration of forests in demined areas, and care for preserved plantations.

Stronger control measures to reduce risks of illegal logging and abuses.

Why does SE “Forests of Ukraine” take this step?

We are taking responsibility for a troubled asset that requires significant investment. But we are doing this deliberately — to preserve and restore forests in the eastern territories and to provide decent working conditions for local foresters.

Earlier this year, three frontline forestry enterprises in Kharkiv region were merged into the “Slobozhansky Forestry Office” branch, forming the Izium Forestry District. As a result, thanks to the company’s firefighting equipment and timely response, the area of forest fires decreased sixfold.

The Security Department staff patrol checkpoints, inspecting all timber trucks leaving the Izium Forestry District. This has effectively stopped the flow of illegal timber from frontline areas of Kharkiv region along major roads.

Meanwhile, the procedure of merging two Kherson forestries into the “Southern Forestry Office” branch is also nearing completion.

Since the beginning of 2025, the “Stolychnyi Lisovyi Ofis” (Capital Forest Office) branch of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has been operating with a new organizational structure and staff roster. The management of production, personnel, sales, procurement, and other areas has been centralized at the single branch level, and the former branch-leskhozes (forestry enterprises) have been liquidated.

Duplication of functions has been eliminated and the number of administrative staff has been optimized.

The number of administrative positions has been reduced by almost 35%! While administrative personnel expenses exceeded 200 million UAH in 2023, they are less than 126 million this year.

A portion of the saved resources was allocated to increasing salaries for production staff, specifically forestry workers.

Salaries for forest masters, tractor drivers, and drivers have been increased by an average of 20% since the beginning of the year.

We have 20% more new employees in production roles. For the first time in many years, we have not only managed to retain staff at the forestry offices but also filled vacant positions!

Our priority: less bureaucracy and fewer offices, and more skilled people equipped with vehicles and digital tools for accounting and control who are working in the forest!

Yesterday, one of the recreational points of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” became a space of strength, recovery, and support for those who stood up to defend our freedom.

We invited soldiers undergoing rehabilitation at the Chernihiv City Hospital, as well as military medics, to participate. The event was held within the framework of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Space by 2030, initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska.

Among the guests were veterans who had experienced amputations and severe injuries, as well as those whose main wound was invisible, in the form of psychological stress and PTSD. The forest became a safe space for them, where they could take a deep breath, hear the birds singing, and feel that, despite everything, life goes on.

Not everyone is ready to share their stories, and in such moments, nature becomes the best therapy.

We prepared a special program for the participants:

Yoga Practice with instructor Hanna — breathing exercises and muscle relaxation outdoors, barefoot in the grass. An hour among the trees brought peace, relieved tension, and helped restore inner balance.

Painting Workshop — each person created their own bright “forest shopper bag” and took it home as a warm memory of the day.

We saw the tension on the faces of our guests replaced by genuine smiles. Because barrier-free access isn’t just about ramps or accessible routes. It’s about the opportunity to live, feel, and be happy.

The recreational points of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” are equipped with the principles of barrier-free access in mind: they are convenient for movement, rest, and communication. They are open to everyone and always free of charge. Here, everyone can feel like a part of nature — without limitations.

In July, the maximum daytime temperature in the Dnipropetrovsk region reached +39 degrees Celsius. In most areas, there has been no rain for months. Corn and sunflower crops are dying on farms. In forest areas, “hits” from KABs (guided aerial bombs) and drones are constantly recorded.

However, thanks to the quick response of the forest protection service, which received new equipment this year, the number and area of fires are minimal.

Over the past week, there were 7 forest fires covering an area of 9.14 hectares, most of which were caused by shelling (8.94 hectares).

Yesterday in the Zaporizhzhia region, in the Krutoyarivske forestry, two fires broke out as a result of six(!) guided aerial bombs falling.

There are cases where incendiary mixtures were sprayed from enemy drones over forest areas!

But the average area of a single fire is only 1.3 hectares, which means that foresters, together with the State Emergency Service, are preventing the fire from spreading.

All fires were promptly contained and extinguished.

The main reasons for the successful firefighting efforts are:

Modern firefighting equipment has been purchased

This year, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” purchased a large batch of forest fire modules for the “Eastern Forest Office” branch, which were installed on pickup trucks. In total, the branch’s supra-forestry offices have 21 fire trucks, 13 forest fire modules on an all-wheel-drive chassis, and 13 modules installed on pickup trucks. By the end of the year, SE “Forests of Ukraine” plans to purchase and transfer an additional 14 forest fire modules to the Eastern Forest Office.

Fire prevention infrastructure has been equipped

Since the beginning of the year, 1.8 thousand km of mineralized strips have been created, and 8.9 thousand have been maintained, which is almost double the planned target.

Training has been conducted

166 employees have completed training under the “forest firefighter” program, and 48 under the “forest fire suppression manager” program.

Cooperation with communities has been established

Since the beginning of the year, the branch’s forest protection service has conducted 315 raids to identify violators of fire safety rules, and 13 reports have been filed. Additionally, 530 educational talks have been held.

The state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” continues its systematic work on preserving self-sown forests and increasing the state forest fund.

Virtually all areas for afforestation under the permanent use of the enterprise are already forested. At the same time, our strategic goal remains to implement the President’s “Green Country” program, not only in terms of planting a billion trees but also in increasing Ukraine’s forest cover percentage.

That’s why we constantly work with communities and regional authorities, submitting requests to transfer reserve lands and identified self-forested territories for the enterprise’s use.

The communities of Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions have been the most responsive to our requests.

Overall, since the beginning of the year, SE “Forests of Ukraine” has completed the registration of property rights for almost 6.5 thousand hectares of new territories!

All of them will be forested in the future.

Among the latest transfers is a self-forested plot in the territory of the Truskavets city council.

Growing and preserving a forest is a long and painstaking process. By transferring territories to SE “Forests of Ukraine,” communities transfer the costs and responsibility to the state enterprise. However, they benefit from all the advantages of afforestation (clean ecology, biodiversity, tourist attractiveness, timber, and ecosystem services).

The procedure for transferring plots to the state forest fund is not complicated and does not require any costs from the community.

We have provided detailed instructions on how this is done: https://tinyurl.com/2crty9st

On July 10, a windstorm swept through the Nyvytske forestry of the Radekhiv supra-forestry of the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” The windthrow damaged 27.7 hectares of pine plantations. Foresters immediately began allocating the damaged plots. A commission inspection was carried out with the participation of the state enterprise “Lvivlisozakhyst,” the Western Interregional Directorate, community representatives, forest estimators from the “Ukrhoslisproekt” association, and the forester of the Nyvytske forestry.

The windthrow caused localized damage to the stands. The continuous area of damaged plots does not exceed 1 hectare, so an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure is not required. This allows for the quick removal of damaged timber before it loses its quality.

The cleanup of the windthrow will begin next week. Sanitary fellings are planned: clearcutting on 3.8 hectares and selective felling on 27.7 hectares. The total volume of harvested timber will be over 1100 m³.

The harvesting is planned to be completed by the end of the third quarter. The harvested timber will be transported by foresters to intermediate warehouses near the village of Troyitsya. The forest products (both commercial and firewood timber) will be sold at the main exchange auctions for the third quarter and at forward auctions for the third and fourth quarters. Thanks to “forwards,” wood processors will be able to reserve the necessary volume of raw materials and lock in the price.

This autumn, forest planting is planned for the plots where clearcutting has taken place. Instead of monoculture plantations, foresters will create a mixed forest that is more resistant to diseases and fires—oak seedlings will be added to the main pine species.

Harvesting services represent the largest share of the enterprise’s procurements. Traditionally, they were acquired through direct contracts.

Since last year, SFE “Forests of Ukraine” has begun establishing a transparent, open, and civilized timber harvesting market.

Despite resistance from some operators unaccustomed to working openly and opposed to public tender mechanisms, procurement has been successfully transitioned to Prozorro.

We have convinced the business community of the advantages of concluding contracts through transparent, competitive auctions.

The result : thousands of workers are now officially employed, and contractors pay taxes into local budgets. There are greater opportunities to enforce compliance with safe working conditions. Opportunities for manipulation have been minimized – all concluded contracts are published.

The path to creating a fully‑fledged market is a long one.

We are working to create conditions that enable contractors to invest in mechanization assets. We are seeking to attract a broader range of market participants to the tenders, thereby increasing competition.

The formation of an efficient and competitive timber‑harvesting market is a guarantee that the enterprise will fulfil its obligations to wood‑processing companies regarding the timely supply of timber.

The “Iron Shift” programme was initiated by JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” with the support of the Howard Buffett Foundation. Its participants are talented teenagers with outstanding achievements in academics, sports, the arts, and creativity, who have lost the opportunity to realise their potential due to russian military aggression. Hundreds of professional training sessions, meetings with celebrity guests, trips to camps, and journeys—this is just a portion of what nearly 5,000 participants have experienced over two years of the programme.

This time, 260 participants of the “Iron Shift” project are being sent to a five‑day camp, which will take place at the Medical Rehabilitation Center for Railway Workers sanatorium in Khmilnyk, Vinnytsia region. They will take part in an educational and sports programme, training sessions, sports activities, masterclasses, and meetings with renowned speakers.

SFE “Forests of Ukraine” has also joined the project. Fifteen of our participants are talented teenagers, aged 14 to 17, forestry warrior families. Many of these children have fathers who are missing in action or were killed in the war. Our goal is to ensure that these youngsters are not overlooked and to provide them with encouragement for further education and personal growth.

“The main goal of the project is to ensure that these children remain in Ukraine. They are the future of this country and will be the ones to rebuild it. We strive to show them that there are many different paths for development here. Our programme works with children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, who are talented and bright. We introduce them to one another and equip them with all the practical tools they need to enter higher education and become professionals in their chosen fields,” says Sofia Koshke, Project Manager of “Iron Shift.”

The children spent their introductory day in Kyiv, visiting several of the capital’s most interesting sights, after which they departed for the camp.

Today, over 2,200 employees of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” are at the front. They are serving in almost 100 combat brigades across various units.

The Union of Forestry Warriors of Ukraine keeps in touch with the majority of them, identifying their needs and providing support.

“We have decided that official representatives of the Union should be present in every brigade where forestry warriors are serving. This will improve coordination and feedback with the mobilized foresters,” said Volodymyr Kovalchuk, Head of the Union of Forestry Warriors.

According to him, a series of meetings with mobilized employees of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” in frontline regions is planned.

The first representatives have already been selected:

Volodymyr Schneider, a mobilized forest master of the Klenivske Forestry Management Subunit of the Zviahelske Management Unit. A volunteer since the first days of the full‑scale war, he is currently serving as a UAV operator in the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi.

Dmytro Khomyn, a forest master at the Skhidnytske Forestry Management Subunit of the Drohobytske Management Unit, joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the first days of the full‑scale invasion. He serves as a gunner in the 80th Separate Air Assault Halychyna Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces.

Oleh Zablotskyi – prior to mobilization, served as a Forest Protection Engineer at the Ovrutske Forestry Management Unit; since March 2022, he has been serving in the 3rd Separate Iron Tank Brigade as commander of the UAS detachment.

Yurii Rochev – a volunteer; prior to mobilization, he served as the Electronic Timber Accounting Administrator at the Shepetivske Forestry Management Unit. He currently commands a squad detachment in the 88th Separate Battalion of the 106th Separate Brigade of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Representatives of the Branch “Forest Reproductive Resources” of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” visited JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM). At the meeting, the foresters exchanged experiences and discussed modern trends in seed preparation for cultivating higher‑quality timber.

Maris Druvaskalns, Director of LVM Seeds and Plants, acquainted the Ukrainian delegation with the enterprise’s organizational structure and the unit’s activities. The unit specialises in forest restoration using seedlings grown from locally sourced seed. Seed is collected from 62 forest seed plantations, covering a total of 800 ha across various regions of Latvia. These plantations have been designed to yield the most valuable genetic material.

What’s important?

1.Latvian foresters maintain seed reserves with a 13–20 year horizon.

Seed is stored in refrigerated storage chambers. Before placement, foresters perform extensive processing: they treat and dry the cones, extract the seed, and remove the winged appendages that hinder sowing and even distribution. The seed is then cleaned, washed, dried, and graded. Finally, it is sorted in a gravity separator, which separates fully filled, viable seeds from shrivelled, damaged, or empty ones.

The State Forest Service Laboratory of Forest Seed Control assesses seed quality. Only after receiving the control report is the seed placed in a refrigerated chamber for long‑term storage. It is kept in sealed containers at –4 °C. Under these conditions, pine and spruce seeds can remain viable for up to 20 years.

2.The Forest Research Station is equipped with cutting‑edge technologies, including sensors for monitoring air‑composition parameters.

In the state forests of Latvia, specialized scientific research is conducted at the Forest Research Station, which spans over 28,000 ha. Studies there focus on seedling survival rates, growth increments, and the selection and propagation of clones for seed plantations. For the purposes of these scientific investigations, the standard regulations governing timber harvesting, forest regeneration and afforestation, and protection against pests and diseases are not applied.

The station is equipped with two 45‑metre towers, each fitted with state‑of‑the‑art sensors that detect changes in air‑composition parameters and their impact on forest stands within a 4 km radius. Investment in each tower amounts to €2.5 million.

At the on‑site forest nursery, clonal planting stock is produced. Two greenhouses are outfitted with heated concrete floors, climate control (air conditioning), ultraviolet lighting, humidifiers, and automated irrigation systems.

Scientific and practical measures to obtain genetically high‑quality seed subsequently result in a 25 percent greater wood increment compared to conventional stands.

3.The unique “Long Nights” technology ensures optimal seedling height.

During their visit to the state‑of‑the‑art nursery LVM Mezvidu Rokaudzētava, the delegation from the Branch “Forest Reproductive Resources” of SFE “Forests of Ukraine” familiarized themselves with the unique “Long Nights” technology. This method artificially shades the seedlings in the growing fields, creating the illusion of autumn: each day, the plants are kept in complete darkness from 16:00 until 09:00 for three weeks. As a result, their growth slows, they lignify more rapidly, and they develop a terminal bud. This process produces seedlings of an optimal height (up to 15 cm) and significantly improves their quality for subsequent cultivation.