Category: Без категорії

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.

“The temporary ban on the export of unprocessed wood is a necessary step to take care of people during the winter and to preserve the operation of our enterprises,” said Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. The head of the Government emphasized that the availability of timber is vital for life in rural communities, where firewood is a key resource for heating in winter.

Cabinet Resolution No. 1399 of October 31 provides for the licensing of exports — a zero quota until the end of the year. In particular, it effectively bans the export of fuelwood in the form of logs, billets, branches, brushwood, twigs, or in similar forms, as well as chips or sawdust.

The decision regarding fuelwood will come into force 21 days after Resolution No. 1399 becomes effective.

It is worth noting that the SFE “Forests of Ukraine” does not export firewood. Overall, according to statistics, exports account for less than 5% of the firewood market volume, and there is no shortage of resources — firewood for the population and the social sector is available. Nevertheless, the Government’s decision guarantees that in case of increased demand, all forestry resources of the country will be concentrated exclusively on meeting domestic needs.

Unlike firewood, the ban on the export of unprocessed timber (except pine) comes into effect the day after the publication of Resolution No. 1399.

It should be recalled that on November 1, the ten-year moratorium on the export of industrial timber (except pine), introduced by the Parliament in 2015, expires.

At the same time, as the Government notes, due to the war, part of Ukraine’s forests are temporarily occupied or damaged by hostilities, and the country has suffered enormous environmental losses. In addition, timber is needed to supply the army and to ensure the stable operation of Ukrainian processing enterprises that require additional raw materials to increase production.

Thus, despite the end of the moratorium, Ukrainian processors retain the exclusive right to access timber resources.

“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.