An important area of activity of subordinate enterprises, that requires the implementation of a set of organizational and practical measures, is the protection of forests from pests and diseases and other negative impacts.

The total area of dying forests as of 01.01.2020 is 269 thousand hectares, new outbreaks of 202 thousand hectares is recorded, 212 thousand hectares were liquidated, the balance as of 31.12.2020 is 259 thousand hectares, of which: 123 thousand hectares of pine, 12 thousand hectares of fir, 81 thousand hectares of oak and 43 thousand hectares of other plantations.

In 2020 an area of 20,6 thousand hectares were damaged by natural calamities (windbreaks) and 690 thousand cubic meters of wood were harvested, which is 82% by area according to the total volume. At the end of 2020, 1192 hectares of damaged stands are registered on the lands of the nature reserve fund. Forest protection works are carried out by the state specialized forest protection service, which is organized on the basis of 7 state specialized forest protection enterprises.

The tasks of this service include supervision, accounting of forest pests and diseases outbreaks, conducting forest pathological inspections, prescribing of forest protection measures, methodological assistance to the state forest enterprises.

The priority direction for the state forest protection service is the development and implementation into practice of biological measures against forest pests.

Dynamics of area of pest and disease outbreaks, thousand ha

Such substance agents are not harmful to humans and the environment and are used in densely populated areas of Ukraine and in forests where use of chemical substance is prohibited. The state specialized forest protection enterprise «Kharkiv Forest Protection» is actively engaged in this work. In the laboratory of this enterprise works on artificial cultivation of an anteater (Thanasimus for micarius) against stem pests are carried out. In 2020, biological material was used on a total area of 97,5 hectares of forests.

Dynamics of dying forests (State Forest Resources Agency), thousand ha 

Area of treatment provided, thousand ha