Illegal cutting is the harvesting of timber without a special permit for the use of forest resources (logging ticket).

The reasons for the emergence of illegal cutting:

- social - the low level of socio-economic development of rural regions (high level of unemployment among the population that harvests firewood to meet vital needs, low wages, low investment activity, etc.);

- economic - obtaining a quick profit by individual citizens or organized groups that harvest large and valuable assortments of wood for processing or commercial sale. The main consumer of such timber is sawmills (sawmills), operating outside the current legislation.

The cyclical nature of cases of illegal cutting is inextricably linked to the rise or fall of levels of economic activity in Ukraine.

Amount and volume of illegal cuttings