Sustainable Forest Management: Ukrainian Specialists Study the Experience of German Foresters

Ukrainian specialists are studying European experience in sustainable forest management as part of a visit by a Ukrainian delegation to Germany. The delegation, composed of representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture and the State Forest Resources Agency, is visiting at the invitation of the leadership of the German SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative) consortium supporting the integration of the forest sector.

Forestry experts are exchanging experience in the following areas:

coordination of land cadastre and forest management geoinformation systems;

conducting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in forestry;

operation of forest monitoring systems;

regulation of timber circulation and the use of forest reproductive material in line with EU requirements;

implementation of the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR).

In particular, in Potsdam at the office of Forests of Brandenburg, discussions focused on the use of digital technologies in forestry, as well as specific aspects of forest management planning and forest inventory.

«We examined in detail the use of digital tools in the context of meeting the requirements of the EUDR regulation – including the generation and transmission of data using GeoJSON files, as well as the mapping of forest violations. German foresters explained how such violations are displayed on maps, where this data is transmitted, and how administrative offence reports are generated automatically», - said Head of the Ukrainian delegation and First Deputy Head of the State Forest Resources Agency, Volodymyr Buchko.

In addition, experts from Forests of Brandenburg presented their experience in forest management planning, national forest inventory, and monitoring.

«We learned how forestry measures are planned based on forest management results, how they are discussed and approved – including through public consultations – as well as how environmental impact assessment procedures are conducted during the planning of these measures. This is truly valuable experience in sustainable forest management for us», - noted Ihor Budzinskyi, Head of the Forestry and Reforestation Department of the State Forest Resources Agency.

It is worth noting that since 2021, the project «Implementation of Sustainable Forest Management» (SFI), supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Regional Identity (BMLEH), has been providing advisory services in the forestry sector and procuring damaged or lost equipment for forest inventory.

The current phase of the SFI project, «Supporting the Planning and Implementation of Multifunctional Sustainable Forest Management in Ukraine», has been ongoing since October 2024. It aims to strengthen capacity in forest policy, governance, and sustainable forest management based on European and German experience, integrated into the broader context of Ukraine’s EU accession process.