The Cabinet of Ministers has made amendments to the regulations governing forest logging and has addressed the specifics of logging for new construction, reconstruction, and major repairs of roads in forest areas, reported the General Director of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine," Yuriy Bolokhovets, on Facebook.
According to him, the state enterprise has planned the construction of over 100 forest road facilities in 2024. With access to this new resource, the economic impact is estimated to be around 2 billion UAH.
"Construction of 165 km has already been completed, and 106 km are in the final stages. However, some projects have not yet been realized due to the regulatory framework for forest road construction remaining unregulated for some time, which led to the halt of certain projects. Now this issue, like many others, has been standardized," the director emphasized.
Bolokhovets reminded that new forest roads are designed to ensure quick returns on investments. Contractors for the work are selected through Prozorro.
"The development of the forest road network is one of the priorities for the State Enterprise 'Forests of Ukraine.' Roads facilitate rapid response and localization of forest fires. Additionally, they provide access to resources. Roads enable the enterprise to harvest the necessary volume of timber for the market with a sufficient level of profitability. Ultimately, roads are a key component of transitioning to natural forestry practices," he wrote.
He expressed confidence that the gaps in the regulatory framework that have been addressed will no longer obstruct the development of forestry and will not serve as a basis for undue pressure from law enforcement and regulatory bodies.