Due to hostilities, more than 450,000 hectares of Ukrainian forests are still contaminated with explosive objects or mined. It will take decades to clear them. However, Ukraine is looking for mechanisms to make forests safe more quickly.
This was reported by the State Forestry Agency of Ukraine.
Recovery plan
The Forestry Agency has developed a plan for the restoration and rehabilitation of affected forest areas. According to the plan, demining will be carried out by mine action specialists under contract. The agency will also analyze the economic, security, and social significance of the areas. This will help determine the order in which explosive devices will be cleared.
Steps to clear the forests
- Partial funding for demining will be provided by United 24. This year, the government has allowed the crowdfunding platform’s resources to be used to clear over 100 hectares of forest of hazardous items in Chernihiv and Kyiv regions.
- The automatic prioritization system is being developed jointly with the Humanitarian Demining Center. Information for this tool is supplied by “Ukrderzhlisproekt”. This involves access to a geographic information system that makes it possible to assess the ecological and economic potential of the land.
- The State Agency of Forest Resources seeks to engage international partners, who could provide financial and technical support for demining activities. At COP30, the Ukrainian delegation proposed that Ukraine receive armored unmanned harvesters for this purpose.
"Forest safety means safety for foresters and forest visitors, an increase in the supply of timber on the market, and a stronger economy for the country. We are actively working on this and doing everything possible to speed up the process," said Viktor Smal, head of the State Forestry Agency.
Earlier, EcoPolitic reported that a billion trees had been planted in Ukraine under the Green Country program. However, the public has serious doubts about these calculations.
Due to the reduction in timber harvesting, the export of certain types of timber and unprocessed logs has been banned.
