Ukraine and South Korea Strengthen Cooperation in the Forestry Sector

Head of the State Forest Resources Agency Viktor Smal and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine Park Kichang discussed prospects for developing cooperation in the forestry sector.

«International cooperation of the State Forest Resources Agency covers a number of EU countries, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. Together with our partners, we coordinate areas of cooperation, attract resources for the development of the forestry sector, and plan our steps toward European integration and post-war recovery. Ukraine and South Korea already have productive cooperation at the governmental level, so we are now focusing on strengthening interaction in the forestry sector», - Viktor Smal explained.

The Head of the Agency informed Park Kichang about Ukraine’s forestry sector and its operation under the conditions of full-scale war: the loss of 20% of resources, mined, temporarily occupied, and war-damaged forests, as well as destroyed equipment.

«At the same time, thanks to reforms, we have managed not only to sustain the sector but also to ensure its development and economic growth. Currently, only the defense and forestry sectors demonstrate such performance. Structural reforms and the digitalization of processes, which significantly strengthened timber accounting control, have played an important role in this», - Viktor Smal emphasized.

He also outlined plans for further development of the sector, including 3D forest scanning using LiDAR technology, the development of a digital platform to monitor timber truck movements, and a new generation of the electronic timber tracking system. In addition, special attention was given to the Agency’s key priorities: adapting forests and forest management practices to climate challenges, transitioning to close-to-nature forestry, and preserving naturally regenerated forests.

For their part, the Korean colleagues proposed establishing closer contacts with the Korea Forest Service, whose work also focuses on digitalization in the forestry sector, forest conservation and restoration, and adaptation to climate change.

«It is important that in Korea forests are viewed as a key resource for the development of local communities and environmental security, so exchanging experience in this area will be valuable. We thank our Korean partners for their support of Ukraine and look forward to further fruitful cooperation in the development of the forestry sector», - Viktor Smal concluded.