In 2024, the forestry industry received a record net income of UAH 23.7 billion from sales of products, continuing to implement a number of digitalization projects and invest in forestry, including the construction of forest roads and seed plants, amid the temporary occupation of part of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, mining and hostilities.
During a public report, among the industry’s achievements, the head of the State Agency of Forest Resources, Viktor Smal, noted the positive effect of introducing transparent rules and equal opportunities for all timber market participants by transferring timber sales to licensed exchanges, which made it possible to conclude long-term contracts and bring contract fulfillment to 95%, the agency’s Facebook page said on Friday.
According to the head of the State Forestry Agency, in 2024, approximately 12.7 million cubic meters of timber worth UAH 23 billion were supplied to the domestic market, which is 0.8 million cubic meters and UAH 2.5 billion more than in 2023. The average cost of 1 cubic meter of timber sold last year remained almost at the level of the previous year – it increased by only 5%, to UAH 1,810.
Smal emphasized that the industry continues to digitize control over the movement of wood. He cited data from the BRDO’s Better Regulation Delivery Office, according to which the e-felling ticket and e-certificate of origin have become the largest digitized permits in Ukraine. The introduced digital tools helped businesses save UAH 150 million. At the same time, the mechanism of photo fixation of timber and the improvement of the electronic timber accounting system (ETS) have provided a new level of transparency in this area, according to the State Forestry Agency.
“Our goal is to radically change the very idea of controlling the movement of wood. The development of the second-generation version of the EOD will allow us to extend this system to woodworkers and significantly improve control over the movement of wood,” emphasized Smal.
In addition, in Ukraine in 2024, new forests were planted on 35.2 thousand hectares of restored forests on a total area of 6.1 thousand hectares. At the same time, 238.3 million pieces of planting material were planted in the country. Last year, 175.4 million standard seedlings were grown to ensure silvicultural operations in 2025, including 11.2 million seedlings with a closed root system.
At the same time, Ukraine continues to work on preserving self-seeded forests: In 2024, 54 thousand hectares of land were granted the status of self-forested. The transfer of 38 thousand hectares of self-seeded forests to the forest fund of Ukraine has been agreed, and property rights have been registered for an area of 10.9 thousand hectares.
Smal noted that the State Forestry Agency has developed a number of regulations that change approaches to work in the industry. In particular, these include the regulation of military felling and close-to-nature forestry, the abandonment of clear felling in the Carpathian region, the typology of felling types, the regulation of measures related to forestry, etc.
