Roundtable “Developing a Joint Action Plan" Results

On September 8, at the initiative of the NGO "ForestCom," a roundtable was held titled "“Developing a Joint Action Plan to Improve the Effectiveness of Combating Illegal Logging and the Circulation of Illegally Harvested Timber." The event took place with the support of the State Forest Agency.

The purpose of the roundtable was the collective development and coordination of proposals that would unite the efforts of government bodies, the expert community, and civil society for the systematic resolution of the problem of illegal logging and circulation of illegally harvested timber through the introduction of appropriate legislative changes.

The discussion on legislative gaps in regulating illegal logging involved representatives from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the State Forest Agency, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the National Police, as well as leading public organizations concerned with forest protection: the Ukrainian Environmental Protection Group, ILO "Ecology-Law-Human," and NGO Ecodia.

Key Problems Discussed

Roundtable participants discussed fundamental obstacles that hinder quality fight against illegal logging:

• Legislative gaps - Current laws contain unclear definitions and procedural uncertainties
• Reporting and accounting problems - Lack of unified reporting standards across forest users
• Limited access to information - Restricted public access to forest maps and user data
• Absence of operational information mechanisms - No real-time systems for detecting violations

Proposed Solutions

During the discussion, the following potential solutions were presented:

• Develop and submit for consideration by the relevant VRU committee a coordinated draft of amendments to Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine

• Develop and implement a pilot project for unified reporting methodology on illegal logging based on (region/forestry enterprise)

• Conduct joint training for investigators, prosecutors, and judges on the qualification of crimes related to illegal logging

• Make changes regarding the procedure for removing dead wood in the manner prescribed by law

• Create an electronic state forest cadastre and ensure complete digitization of forest resource accounting

• Open public access to current cartographic materials, including forest maps

Key Speakers and Their Contributions

Yulia Ovchynnikova, Member of Parliament of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, opened the discussion with a report on combating deforestation and illegal logging. She familiarized attendees with key issues that Ukraine must regulate legislatively within the framework of European integration obligations. The deputy emphasized the critical importance of legal regulation of illegal forest cutting, transportation, and storage of timber, stressing that previous legislative initiatives in this area remained unrealized. Ovchynnikova expressed gratitude to law enforcement agencies for their efforts in combating illegal logging and emphasized the importance of consistent implementation of recommendations from the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, aimed at creating a transparent and integrity-based forest resource management system.

Oleg Storchous, lawyer and forest legislation expert, and Natalia Kaplya, legal expert from NGO "ForestCom," presented comprehensive proposals for amending criminal legislation, particularly Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, to clearly define the concepts of "illegal logging" and "illegally obtained timber." The experts emphasized the critical need to implement a unified reporting form for all forest users in Ukraine, which would allow effective collection of statistical information on illegal logging and monitoring the level of prosecution of guilty parties.

Taras Lymar, Head of the Forest Protection and Defense Department of the State Forest Agency, disclosed alarming statistics on illegal logging: during 2024, 4,600 cases of violations were identified, resulting in damage to forestry totaling approximately 820 million hryvnias. Particularly concerning is the fact that from this colossal sum, only 13.1 million hryvnias were recovered, representing less than 2% of the total damage. Lymar also focused attention on structural changes within the State Forest Agency, particularly the separation of functions between divisions and active implementation of innovative digital technologies to strengthen control and monitoring of forest resource status and use.

Ihor Lytsur, Executive Director of SE "Forests of Ukraine," proposed comprehensive legislative initiatives to strengthen the fight against illegal logging, including the introduction of criminal liability for illegal timber harvesting regardless of the amount of damage caused and granting citizens the right to collect dead wood for household needs. The director paid special attention to the need to create a state register of participants in the wood processing market with clear and transparent inclusion criteria, which should ensure monitoring and increase industry transparency in accordance with new legislation requirements.

Kostiantyn Severyn, Deputy Head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Office of the Prosecutor General, characterized illegal logging as a critical threat to national ecology and economy, as it irreversibly destroys forest ecosystems that play a key role in preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance. According to him, pre-trial investigation bodies are currently investigating over 6,845 criminal offenses in the forest sector, but the effectiveness of judicial prosecution is significantly reduced by systemic legislative gaps regarding the regulation of transportation, storage, and accounting of timber, as well as outdated methodologies for assessing damage.

Expert Perspectives

Yurii Diuh, representative of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and head of the Wood Industry UA economic platform, emphasized the critical need to improve the legislative framework regarding firewood circulation and timber accounting, update the list of forest management materials, and eliminate systemic shortcomings in statistical information collection in forestry and the timber market. The expert noted that Ukraine is currently actively working on creating a comprehensive development strategy for the forestry, woodworking, and furniture industries, which Federation specialists are developing together with people's deputies and business representatives from various regions.

Petro Tiestov, forestry expert and UNCG representative, identified the lack of open data for the public as one of the main problems. In particular, even basic forest maps and information about forest users remain closed. The second problem is limited access to electronic timber accounting data, even for law enforcement. Although the system allows detection of anomalies, this data remains closed.

Anatoly Pavelko, leading legal counsel and ecologist at ILO "Ecology-Law-Human," revealed the problem of excessive use based on land easements, which is extremely relevant for forestry, as the use of forest lands for mineral extraction essentially deprives them of their main designated purpose, destroys the fertile soil layer and trees.

Pavlo Kravets, Director of FSC Ukraine, proposed considering the problem of illegal logging in a broader context, where alongside the legislative-regulatory framework for combating this phenomenon, the institutional capacity of competent bodies, civil society activity, historical-cultural traditions, and social transformations in the country should be evaluated.

Sofia Shutyak, lawyer and Deputy Chair of the Committee on Agricultural, Land and Environmental Law of NAAU, noted that today responsibility is often shifted to those who first failed to report a crime, so it's important to change not only laws but also their application practices.

Sergiy Zibtsev, ecologist and fire management specialist from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences, shared results of the FSC-Ukraine Advisory Committee's activities, which collaborates with key players in the forest sector.

Yevgeniy Khan, scientist at NULES of Ukraine and CoC and Integrity Manager of FSC-Ukraine, noted risks in global supply chains including discrepancies in law enforcement, limited access to information, and disproportionate responsibility primarily affecting processors who lack access to data.

Additional Concerns Raised

Mykhailo Serebrjakov, Executive Director of NGO "Together Against Corruption," emphasized the critical need to develop a clear algorithm of actions for law enforcement agencies when receiving reports of forest violations.

Investigative journalist Olena Mudra revealed the problem of constructing new automobile roads not provided for in forest management materials on territories of the state forest fund of Zakarpattia region, which is carried out with violations.

Andriy Kyyko, representative of the Danube-Carpathian Program, proposed strengthening the judicial system, introducing strict penalties for forest violations, and simplifying the process of obtaining permits for inspections by local State Environmental Inspectorates.

Vira Smolyar, representative of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, noted that for effective optimization of investigations in environmental violations, there is a critical lack of systematic methodological recommendations and regular seminars for professional training of judges, investigators, and experts.

Event Organization

The meeting was moderated by Dmytro Karabchuk, Executive Director of ForestCom and coordinator of the project "Advocacy for Forest Protection Against Illegal Logging: Removing Legal Barriers for Efficiency".

Throughout the roundtable, all proposals were recorded in a document that will become material for creating a joint resolution. Such coordination will allow laying the foundation for systemic changes and real counteraction to illegal logging.

The strategic meeting can be viewed in the recording at the provided link.

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The event “Developing a Joint Action Plan to Improve the Effectiveness of Combating Illegal Logging and the Circulation of Illegally Harvested Timber" is produced by NGO «ForestCom» with the support of the Askold and Dir Fund as a part of the Strong Civil Society of Ukraine - a Driver towards Reforms and Democracy project, implemented by ISAR Ednannia, funded by Norway and Sweden.