Yuriy Bolokhovets, Head of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine:

"As 2022 has shown, a forester is not just someone who grows the forest, looks after it and harvests the resource. It is someone who knows every path in the forest. Who will use the forest to stop enemy tanks. Who will shelter the displaced people from the hot spots in the Forestry. It is he who will help his colleagues from the front-line regions, who will donate resources to build fortifications, who will work for himself and for the neighboring region to support the economy of Ukraine.

This list could go on for a long time. But most importantly, a forester is not just a profession, but a vocation of the heart. A forester is a team player.

This year, we celebrate our professional holiday without any festivities. Every seventh forester today is defending the sovereignty of our country in Russia's war against Ukraine. Everyone else is working in the field with a double, triple workload.

Thank you, colleagues, that we are on the same team. Only together will we defeat the enemy.

Glory to Ukraine!"