The state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” together with communities and international partners launches the Forest Recovery program, said the general director of the enterprise Yuriy Bolokhovets.
“There are more than 1.5 million hectares of self-sown forests in Ukraine. Previously, such forest was ruthlessly destroyed. But now there is a legal mechanism to save it. We are launching the Forest Recovery project together with our western partners Forest Europe and Eustafor. They support such an idea,” he wrote on Facebook.
Bolokhovets said that communities on a volunteer basis transfer land plots, in particular degraded areas or self-sown forests, to the state enterprise. They understand the importance of preserving and enhancing nature, the need to improve the ecosystem, to pass on to their descendants a comfortable environment for life with the presence of recreational areas, ecotourism, etc.
Director General of “Forests of Ukraine” thanked eco-conscious communities that care about the future of society. They will be awarded with diplomas, and information about the project implementation will be passed on to international partners.
The first winner of Forest Recovery was Omelnytska community (Poltava region), which transferred 55 hectares of land for forest planting and almost 129 hectares of self-seeded forests for the restoration of the branch “Kremenchug Forestry”. In gratitude, foresters landscaped the central street of the settlement.
The state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” is launching a project to create a system of personnel reserve, said the company’s CEO Yuriy Bolokhovets.
“Forests of Ukraine employs more than 30 thousand people in all regions of the country. Thousands of management positions. Recently, we have been actively getting rid of managers who commit abuses or violations (…) But where and how to find the best personnel? (…) That’s why we are creating a system of personnel reserve,” he wrote on Facebook.
According to Bolokhovets, the reserve should open up growth opportunities for the capable and hardworking. Every employee who wants to take part in the competition can apply, be tested and undergo a comprehensive assessment of knowledge and skills. Once a vacancy is opened, the HR committee will conduct a selection process, taking into account candidates from the reserve. Employees who are selected for the personnel reserve will be given the opportunity to improve their skills at training courses in law, management, psychology, IT, etc.
The Director General of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” expressed hope that the new system of candidate evaluation will be not only objective, but also transparent with the possibility of public control.
Currently, the talent pool system is being finalized, a list of positions is being formed, and tests covering all aspects of the company’s work are being developed. The reserve for three positions has already been launched in a pilot mode: a forester, a branch director, and a deputy director of a regional office.
The state enterprise expects that the reserve will start working next year. And all appointments to senior positions will be made exclusively on a competitive basis.
As reported, Ukraine launched a forestry reform in 2016. As part of it, the sale of raw wood at electronic auctions has already been introduced. 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. In addition, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” has launched a pilot project to procure timber harvesting services through the Prozorro electronic platform.
To date, the SFE has harvested more than 130 thousand cubic meters of firewood for the 2023/2024 heating season.
The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” is launching a pilot project to procure timber harvesting services through the Prozorro electronic platform, said the company’s CEO Yuriy Bolokhovets.
“Forestry enterprises have always procured harvesting services under direct contracts. We are planning to fully transfer them to open tenders. This is several billion hryvnias a year. In the fourth quarter, a pilot project will be launched in several regions. Specialists from the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” are analyzing the market and working on developing technical requirements,” Bolokhovets said.
According to him, the reform is expected to create a competitive market, attract the maximum number of players, invest in modern equipment and new technologies, create additional jobs, increase contributions to budgets of all levels, reduce illegal logging, and improve the quality of work.
“This is the fourth stage of the anti-corruption program we are implementing. At the first stage, we banned direct contracts and transferred timber sales to specialized exchanges. At the second stage, we transferred the main purchases of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” – from fuel to road construction – to Prozorro. At the third stage, we abandoned unprofitable processing facilities and started transferring them to the State Property Fund,” explained the head of the company.
Mr. Bolokhovets noted that the anti-corruption program of the Forests of Ukraine also includes strengthening control tools and digitalization. However, the problem of corruption can only be overcome by institutional reforms, the creation of a system that minimizes the “official factor” and introduces transparent and open rules of the game for business, he emphasized.
