Personnel changes will take place in the Zacarpathian Regional Department of Forestry and Hunting (DFH) to rid inefficient forest managers and participants in corruption schemes.
The changes will take place on behalf of the Minister of Ecology Ruslan Strelts, head of the State Forest Agency Yury Bolohovets reports on Facebook.
Zacarpathian is in the top 5 among the regions of Ukraine in terms of the area of the forest fund, and in terms of forest cover (more than 51%) and timber reserves, it ranks 1st.
However, as Bolochovets noted, the Carpathians have always been the most problematic region in the forest industry.
So, in 2021, the average salary level for Zacarpathian foresters was 12 thousand UAH / month, and, for example, in the Khmelnytsky region (with a forest cover of 13%) - about 30 thousand UAH.
“Some foresters obviously do not live on one salary, given the number of corruption scandals in the region. We know about this. And we react, because foresters who discredit the industry have no right to work in it,” said Bolochovets.
He also added that the State Forest Agency recently conducted a comprehensive audit of the enterprises of the Zacarpathian FMEC. The full result of violations at enterprises is recorded on 400 pages.
"I personally handed over the materials to the prosecutor of the environmental prosecutor's office of the Transcarpathian region, Ivan Forgacha," he said.
Audit results:
- In the State Enterprise "Uzhhorod Forestry" during the inventory of forest products, a shortage of firewood for industrial use of hardwoods with a volume of 179.8 m3 in the amount of 320.4 thousand hryvnias was found.
- 1137.8 thousand hryvnias were unjustifiably written off in the state enterprise "Brusturyanskoye LMG" in the work orders for the work performed on natural renewal.
- Illegal logging was discovered in the State Enterprises "Dovzhanskoye LMG", "Uzhgorod Forestry" and "Brusturyanskoye LMG", which caused damage to forestry in the amount of 375.7 thousand hryvnias.
- In SE "Dovzhanskoye LMG", "Uzhgorodsky Leskhoz", "Brusturyanskoye LMG", "Mokryanskoye LMG" unprocessed timber was shipped to buyers without concluding contracts in the amount of 11,302 m3 in the amount of UAH 17,554.4 thousand, and facts of roundwood sale at prices lower than at the general auction, as a result of which the enterprise received less than 208.2 thousand hryvnias.
- The accounting data do not correspond to the data of the electronic accounting of timber, which leads to uncontrolled write-off of tags during timber harvesting.
“The situation in Zacarpathia is under my control. I believe that the right personnel decisions will take the region to a whole new level,” added Bolohovets.
Recall Zacarpathian policemen confiscated a truck with illegal timber for the needs of the Armed Forces.
As EcoPolicy reported earlier, the appointment of Elena Kramarenko to the post of Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources was criticized due to probable involvement in a corruption case for 200 thousand hryvnia.
