���������������������Modern forest policy in the world: global challenges, sustainable solutions and shared responsibility for the future of forests

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Volodymyr Zahorskyi, Ion Dubovici,

Ihor Soloviy, Oleg Danchuk

Ukrainian National Forestry University

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International Manifestations of the Foresters,

Jupiter, 15-18.09.2026

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The protection, use and reproduction of forests, in accordance with the concept of sustainable development, require a comprehensive forest policy that takes into account environmental, economic and social needs

Global Deforestation Crisis

The annual destruction of millions of hectares of natural forest disrupts global carbon sinks, drives biodiversity loss, and forces international markets to strictly track raw material provenance.

Degradation of Ecosystem Services

Weakened forest ecosystems lose critical capacities: carbon sequestration, natural water cycle regulation, watershed protection, and soil erosion prevention across vulnerable biomes.

Deforestation & Ecosystem Services

�Climate Change & Extreme Wildfire Risks��

• Accelerated Climate Stress: Prolonged droughts and extreme heatwaves severely reduce artificial monoculture forest resilience.
• Wildfire Frequency: Unprecedented wildfire scale damages millions of hectares annually, releasing critical sequestered carbon.
• Pest Outbreaks: Warmer temperatures enable widespread pest infestations, destroying vulnerable tree species globally.
• Shift to Adaptive Management: Traditional timber-focused paradigms can no longer withstand accelerating climate disruptions.

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New global challenges require a modern approach to forest policy�

Major global challenges:

• climate change;
• increasing forest fire risks;
• spread of pests and diseases;
• loss of biodiversity;
• forest degradation and fragmentation;
• land use change;
• increasing demand for wood and bioresources;
• demographic and socio-economic changes.

Forest policy can no longer be an isolated sectoral policy.

EU’s forest policy objectives:�From multifunctionality to forests in a circular bioeconomy

According to the European Forest Institute (2025) EU forest objectives are shifting (1992-2024)

•  Rapidly expanding and more ambitious agenda, including combating climate change Forest-related objectives grew 2.5 times in 2019–2024 compared to 1992- 2018, driven by the Green Deal and a growing acknowledgment of forests’ multifunctionality—from carbon storage and biodiversity to renewable materials, energy, risk reduction, health, and rural development. Combating climate change is fully mainstreamed across instruments.
• Growing convergence of climate, biodiversity, and productivity goals While potentially conflicting, these goals are increasingly framed as compatible. Recent policies promote circularity, cascading use of biomass, and climate-smart forestry as near “silver bullet” solutions linking environmental priorities with innovation, income, and wider societal benefits.
• Economic productivity remains central Policies often present environmental ambition as boosting competitiveness, efficiency, and new revenue tied to forest ecosystem services—showing a long-running integration of ecological and economic aims, with shifting emphasis across political cycles.
• Objectives spread evenly across legal and non-legal tools Binding instruments tend to regulate biodiversity, plant health, and standards, while non-binding ones outline integrated visions connecting resilience and economic modernisation—illustrating the breadth and complexity of EU forest governance.
• Institutional diversity challenges coherence Different sectors shape forest objectives through varied tools—regulations, guidance, funding, certification, market standards— creating fragmentation where objectives can align or conflict.
• Social and cultural values remain marginal Despite recognised benefits for health, recreation, and culture, these dimensions still receive far less attention than climate, biodiversity, and economic goals.

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Modern forest policy should be aimed at implementing the principles of sustainable forestry and ensuring a balance between environmental, economic and social interests.

From conflict of goals to balance of interests

Three interrelated blocks:

Conserve

• biodiversity;
• natural ecosystems;
• water and soil resources;
• carbon potential.

Use

• wood;
• non-wood resources;
• biomass;
• recreational potential.

Develop

• employment;
• local communities;
• forest businesses;
• rural areas.

A strong forest policy creates the conditions for a sustainable combination of forest protection and use.

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Forest sector specialists play a key role in the formation and implementation of modern forest policy

The formation and implementation of modern forest policy should be ensured by:

• forest sector workers;
• trade unions;
• scientists;
• local communities;
• forest owners;
• entrepreneurs;
• youth;
• environmental organizations;
• government authorities.

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No single actor can ensure forest sustainability on its own.

It is impossible to form an effective and sustainable forest policy without taking into account the role of forest sector professionals, as well as the interests of local communities who live near the forest and depend on its resources and ecosystem services

Social dialogue is the basis of effective forest policy

INFORMATION

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DIALOGUE

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ALIGNMENT OF INTERESTS

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JOINT DECISION-MAKING

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RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE RESULT

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NEW INFORMATION ↻

Social dialogue is one of the mechanisms for implementing effective forest policy

Social dialogue helps:

• reduce conflicts;

• increase trust;

• take into account the interests of workers;

• involve communities;

• improve the quality of government decisions;

• ensure a just transition to sustainable forest management.

The best forest policy is one that anticipates risks before they become a crisis

Policy priorities:

• climate risk management;
• fire prevention;
• forest adaptation to climate change;
• early detection of threats;
• restoration of degraded ecosystems;
• long-term planning.

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Forest policy today is simultaneously

an environmental, economic, and social policy. This is a policy of balance, partnership, and responsibility for the future.

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The main instruments of modern forest policy:

Legislative:

• modern legislation;

• clear rules;

• effective control.

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Digital

• satellite monitoring;

• digital accounting;

• open data;

• wood traceability.

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Economic

• investment;

• financial incentives;

• public-private partnerships;

• support for innovation.

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Social

• social dialogue;

• community participation;

• vocational training;

• decent work.

The future of the forest sector is not about increasing resource use, but about increasing value while reducing environmental pressure. Sustainable forestry is not just a cost, but an economic opportunity.

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Emphasis:

• bioeconomy;
• circular economy;
• wood processing;
• innovative materials;
• new professions;
• development of forest-dependent territories.

The forest policy of each country should be aimed at sustainable forestry, sustainable use of resources, restoration of forest ecosystems, and increasing social value of forests with minimal environmental pressure

� Ukraine is forming a new model of forest policy - from resource management to comprehensive provision of ecological, economic and social sustainability of forests.��Analyzing the current state of Ukraine's forest resources in wartime conditions, the gradual practical implementation of the concept of sustainable forest use is possible only through the timely development of theoretical provisions, methodological foundations and practical recommendations on regional features in the field of organization and development of forestry in Ukraine and the implementation of effective environmental policy instruments.

Russia's war against Ukraine has caused many problems in all spheres of human activity, including the forestry sector

Under the conditions of war, it is impossible to ensure a proper management system in forestry, which would comply with the principles of sustainable forestry, national forest policy of Ukraine, international agreements in this area, etc.

In Ukraine in war conditions, regional differences in the field of development of forestry should be taken into account

I) the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russia (Crimea Republic, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions);

II) temporarily captured territories of Ukraine since the beginning (February 24, 2022) of the full-scale war (parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and other regions);

III) territories where active hostilities are taking place (regions near the front line - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and other regions);

IV) regions with an increased risk (regions bordering the Russian Federation - Sumy, Kharkiv, etc.), where Russians frequently shell them;

V) regions in the risk zone (regions bordering Belarus - Volyn, Rivne, and Zhytomyr, as the Russians can attack Ukraine from the north as well);

VI) regions where forestry management is more or less safe (Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, and other regions far from the border with the Russian Federation).

The challenges of Ukraine's forest sector are changing - and Ukraine's forest policy must change appropriatly

New challenges for Ukraine's forest sector:

• climate change;

• droughts and forest fires;

• biodiversity loss;

• degradation of forest ecosystems;

• consequences of full-scale war;

• mining and contamination of forest areas;

• other environmental, economic and security risks.

Today, when Russia has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine since February 24, 2022, causing massive damage to the natural environment, including forests, the civilized world must realize that protecting the environment during war is not only a matter of national security, but also a shared responsibility of the international community.�

The destruction and damage to Ukraine's forest ecosystems, mining of territories, fires, soil and water pollution, and destruction of environmental infrastructure will have long-term consequences far beyond the region of hostilities.

• That is why international support for Ukraine should include not only the restoration of the economy and infrastructure, but also the restoration of natural ecosystems, in particular forests.
• This requires increased international cooperation, the exchange of experience, the mobilization of financial and technological resources, and the development of joint mechanisms for assessing and compensating for environmental damage caused by the war.
• The protection of Ukrainian forests today is a contribution to the preservation of Europe's natural heritage and ensuring the environmental security of future generations.

The issue of Ukraine's forests protection and restoration should become an important component of international policy to support Ukraine of the joint because responsibility for the future

• This approach is an important step in the development of forestry in the European integration process of Ukraine and the sustainable forest management concept implementation.

�What policymakers should consider ?�

• Strengthen cross-sector coherence through better coordination Create a structured mechanism to align circularity, climate mitigation and bioeconomy development, supported by a shared registry of objectives, overlaps and contradictions.
• Support practical tools for managing multifunctionality Translate forest multifunctionality into concrete planning tools, including explicit trade-off analysis across climate, biodiversity, energy and industrial uses.
• Address multi-level governance challenges  Future policies should better account for national differences in forest conditions, policy styles and societal priorities and develop support tools that help apply forest objectives consistently across differing economic, ecological and social contexts, in particular as the EU prepares for enlargement.
• Align research and data with multifunctionality needs Further strengthen harmonised datasets and models that can assess simultaneous progress towards multiple forest objectives.
• Strengthen public awareness of forest complexity Support initiatives that highlight forests’ multiple roles to foster a broader public and political understanding of their contributions, needs and limits.

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Ukrainian Context & Shared Responsibility�

• War Impacts & Demining: Vast forest areas require extensive demining, environmental risk assessment, and ecological restoration following military damage and fires.
• EU Integration & Harmonization: Aligning national forestry legislation with European Green Deal standards to ensure continued access to international markets.
• Institutional Reform: Separating policy-making, oversight, and commercial operations while driving corporate governance and digital transformation.
• International Partnerships: Collaborating with international partners (such as Sweden, Germany, Finland, and the World Bank) for forest recovery and climate adaptation.

Phase 1: Demining

Priority survey, clearing explosive ordnance, and safety mapping in affected forests.

Phase 2: Reform

Institutional separation of policy, control, and commercial forestry activities.

Phase 3: EUDR

Full digital timber tracking and alignment with EU environmental standards.

Phase 4: Resilience

Widespread adoption of close-to-nature forestry and climate-resilient planting.

Strategic Roadmap for Forest Transformation

Conclusions

The future of forests is a shared responsibility of all countries, forest sector workers, scientists, businesses, communities and every person. And it is on how effectively we can combine these efforts today that it depends whether forests in the future will be not only a resource, but also a reliable natural foundation for the economic, environmental and social sustainability of society.

Ensuring forest sustainability requires united efforts among governments, businesses, and international communities, framing forests as critical ecological infrastructure rather than merely an economic commodity.

Thank you for your attention !