During the year, foresters plan to increase the area of forest plantations in the Lviv, Zakarpattia, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. Future forests will appear on logging sites, as well as in areas that need support for natural restoration.
According to the State Forestry Agency, the Western Interregional Forestry and Hunting Administration has such plans for 2026.
New forests by region
- Lviv region. Here, forestry workers plan to plant about 3.7 million seedlings on plots with a total area of 1,155 ha. Priority will be given to pine, oak, and fir;
- Zakarpattia region. In this region, nearly 1.8 million seedlings will be planted over 711 ha. Among the tree species – spruce, fir, and European beech;
- Ivano-Frankivsk region. On areas totaling 1,086 ha, forestry workers intend to plant over 1.2 million seedlings, mainly fir, spruce, and oak.
Establishing mixed stands in the institution is considered more rational. Forests formed with this approach will be more diverse and resilient.
The State Forest Resources Agency emphasized that only certified planting material will be used to create new forests. When selecting species, the peculiarities of the area will be taken into account, and seedlings most suitable for the specific plots will be chosen.
EcoPolitic previously reported that during the full-scale war, Ukraine lost about 20% of its forest fund lands. Overall, around 3 million ha of forested areas have suffered damage of varying scales.
At the same time, the country faces a problem with the preservation of self-seeded and ownerless forests. Communities are in no hurry to transfer these areas to state and municipal forestry management in order to earn income from leasing.
This leads to the destruction of forest tracts. For example, in this way, a businessman in Volyn obtained a forest lease for a pasture and destroyed the trees.
