The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” will plant more than 5.5 thousand hectares of new forests in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, said Yuriy Bolokhovets, CEO of the state enterprise.
“We have started the largest planting of new forests in the history of Ukraine in the South. This fall, we will create more than 5.5 thousand hectares in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions! This figure is incredible. Every year, no more than 200-300 hectares of new forest were planted in the regions. The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has increased the planting area twenty times,” he wrote on Facebook.
The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” intends to plant mixed forests that are more resilient and resistant to climate change. For planting, the company has selected petiolate oak, maples, pines, ash, and shrubs. The company will supply more than 800 thousand seedlings with a closed root system to the region.
According to the company’s CEO, the area of forests in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions does not exceed 140 thousand hectares. They are mainly for recreational purposes, with only sanitary felling (firewood). The income from timber sales, particularly in the form of firewood, would not even be enough for southern forestry enterprises to pay their salaries. Forestry in the region was chronically subsidized: staff worked on a quarter and half-time basis, there were no fuel and lubricants, no cultivators.
Mr. Bolokhovets named the lack of qualified personnel as one of the main problems of the industry. The Southern Forestry Office currently has more than 400 vacancies: forest master, forester, assistant, etc.
The reform in the industry has enabled the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” to optimize its work and make a profit, which has made it possible to find investments for the development of the southern region.
“Local foresters finally received salaries, equipment, fuel, and planting material. We have started working with communities – in the last two months alone, 1.7 thousand hectares have been transferred for planting. Finally, we have money, equipment, and land,” said the CEO.
The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” intends to make the development program for the southern region a long-term one.
As reported, the state specialized economic enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” is one of the largest forest users in Europe and the largest forest user in Ukraine. It is managed by the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine. The company manages 6.6 million hectares of state forest land.
In 2016, Ukraine launched a forestry reform. It has already introduced the sale of unprocessed timber at electronic auctions. Since 2021, an interactive map of wood processing facilities has been operating in a test mode in a number of regions.
The industry has implemented the Forest in a Smartphone project, which contains a list of logging tickets for timber harvesting and allows you to check the legality of logging on the agency’s online map.
On June 1, 2023, Ukraine launched a pilot for the electronic issuance of logging tickets and certificates of origin of timber.
