"In three years, we have invested more in forest conservation than in previous few decades," – Yurii Bolokhovets
Company News
Record investment in forestry infrastructure, the launch of systematic efforts to conserve natural and unmanaged forests, and preparations for the transition to environmentally responsible forestry – these are the key achievements in the environmental protection sphere of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", as summarised by its director, Yurii Bolokhovets, in an article dedicated to the conclusion of his tenure as head of the enterprise, reports Censor.NET
According to Bolokhovets, the State Enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’ has succeeded in creating all the necessary organisational, technical and human resources to phase out clear-cutting across the entire Carpathian forest area – which covers around 1 million hectares. This means a shift towards selective felling, the preservation of the multi-aged structure of the stands, and the natural regeneration of the forest.
"FSC certification has confirmed that our standards meet international requirements: the area of certified forests managed by the State Enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’ is 4.739 million hectares; in terms of this figure, Ukraine ranks third in Europe after Sweden and Turkey," said Bolokhovets.
A separate area of focus has been the management of naturally regenerated and ownerless forests, which had been neglected by the state for decades. In recent years, around 30,000 hectares of such forests have been incorporated into the State Forest Fund, to which a further 18,000 hectares in the Odesa region were added just the other day. Efforts have also begun to revitalise the forests of the south – 6,000 hectares of new forest have been planted in a region where forestry had virtually ceased to exist.
Investments in forest infrastructure have been a major achievement in nature conservation. Over the past three years, more than 1.3 billion hryvnias have been invested in the development of forest infrastructure — the highest figure in the sector’s history. A total of 343 km of forest roads have been built, and 137 units of specialised machinery have been purchased. Since 2023, 154 modern recreational facilities have been established in the areas most at risk of forest fires – a significant expansion of the network from the existing 1,500 sites, which are visited by a total of around 3 million people each year.
"We have laid the foundations to ensure that Ukraine’s forests are not only a source of resources, but also a safe, accessible and comfortable space for people. Other European countries are studying our experience," emphasises Bolokhovets.
Yurii Bolokhovets was born in 1982 in the Chernihiv region. In 2005, he graduated from the National Agrarian University (NUBI) with a degree in "Forest farming." i For more than 20 years, he has headed various levels of state administration in the sector. He has risen through the ranks — from forestry engineer to head of the regional department. From February 2021 to April 2023, he held the post of Head of the State Agency for Forest Resources of Ukraine; since May 2023, he has been Director General of the State Enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’.
