This year, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the SFE “Forests of Ukraine” has reduced the area of forest fires threefold

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.