The first skidders manufactured for the Carpathian branch of State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” under a contract with a Slovak manufacturer have successfully passed factory tests, the state enterprise announced on its Facebook page.
According to the post, the contract for the delivery of 11 units of equipment was signed in January 2025. The first two skidders have now been manufactured at the plant, and the company’s specialists personally tested them before they were shipped to Ukraine.
“This is a crucial stage, because it’s not just about the quality of the equipment, but also about people’s safety and the reliability of operations in challenging mountainous conditions. That is precisely why we conduct testing at the factory—before the equipment is put into service,” the post notes.
According to the State Enterprise, the first units will arrive in Ukraine in the coming weeks, and deliveries of the remaining nine units are scheduled for mid-summer. The new tractors will be used in 11 forest districts of the Western Region, specifically in the Brustury, Rakhiv, Uzhhorod, and Ivano-Frankivsk districts.
The company emphasized that this is the first purchase of modern specialized equipment of this caliber. Currently, the Carpathian Forest Office uses about 350 tractors, of which more than 80% (285 units) are machines manufactured in the 1980s and 1990s that frequently break down.
“The new equipment will provide greater off-road and mountain mobility thanks to a reinforced frame and all-wheel drive. Twin-drum winches will boost productivity, and modern remote control systems will make the operator’s work safer,” summarized the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.”
As reported, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” will implement an investment program in 2026 with a total funding volume of 4.1 billion UAH. The modernization strategy allocates over 2.1 billion UAH for the procurement of goods and services from domestic manufacturers, specifically firefighting equipment, trailers, and reforestation equipment.
The modernization of the vehicle fleet aims to replace outdated Soviet-era equipment from the 1980s and 1990s with specialized European-standard machines. The program includes the purchase of more than 200 units of equipment, including modern skidders, harvesters, and energy-efficient tractors, which are expected to increase productivity in challenging terrain and reduce fleet maintenance costs.
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