In Ukraine there are about 15 million hectares of land under the influence of erosion and annual growth of eroded land is more than 80 thou ha. In order to reduce the impact of erosion on agricultural lands and improve soil fertility state forest enterprises are carried out afforestation measures.

For optimal forest ratio in Ukraine (20%) there should be created more than 2 million hectares of new forests. It is potentially possible using land withdrawn from agricultural turnover. According to the Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine there are about 8 million hectares such lands available.

The question of increasing forest cover is included in priority areas of forest management development. In Ukraine every second hectare is created artificially. Within the last half-century period there was created 1,4 million hectares of soil protection stands, of which 150 thousand hectares – along the banks of small rivers, there was established 440 thousand hectares of shelter forest belts aiming to protect more than 13 million hectares of arable land.

Over the past five years the average annual volume of forest regeneration is 49 thousand hectares.

For providing large-scale afforestation it is created sufficient facilities. State forest enterprises under subordination of State Forest Resources Agency created 3,4 thousand hectares of forest nurseries, 11 hectares greenhouse complexes where it is growing about 232 million seedlings. For receiving high quality forest seed permanent forest base on area of 40,9 thousand hectares is established, including:

• 2,1 thousand hectares of plus stands;
• 1,2 thousand hectares of permanent seed orchards;
• 15,6 thousand hectares of permanent seed stands;
• 22,0 thousand hectares of genetic reserves;
• 4,6 thousand plus trees.

There is improved technology of forest growing including the use of moisture accumulation agents and plant growth stimulants.