Eco-solutions: Lyman revives forests damaged by war fires, aiming to plant 100 hectares

Forests are being restored in the Lyman district of the Donetsk region. Planting is being carried out in forest areas damaged by fires caused by hostilities. It is planned to restore 100 hectares of forests this year.

The Donetsk regional military administration reported this with reference to the Lyman Forestry State Enterprise.

What is the problem?

As Oleksandr Zhuravliov, director of the Lyman City Military Administration, stated, the Lyman community had a total of 34,000 hectares of forest, but approximately 70% has been destroyed due to enemy shelling and wildfires.

These are billions of dollars in losses because the pine trees there were 40–50 years old.

What is the solution?

"With the onset of favorable weather conditions, the state enterprise Lyman Forestry has begun an autumn silvicultural campaign to restore forests. 2 hectares of forest were planted the other day," the report reads.

Tree seedlings were planted in forest areas damaged by fires that arose due to hostilities.

How does it work?

It should be noted that the work involved workers who used planting pipes to carry out planting. These pipes are the most efficient tool for manually planting crops with closed root systems.

The seedlings were grown at the Lviv Forest Selection and Seed Center from seeds collected in the forests of the Lyman region.

^{Photo: Facebook / Lyman Forestry State Enterprise}The local military authority emphasized the importance of cultivating understory forest vegetation using the primary tree species, Scots pine and warty birch, to restore the forests.

In general, the forest restoration plan of the Lyman Forestry Enterprise for 2024 is 100 hectares.

This spring, 41 hectares of young forest were planted, and more than 50,000 Scots pine seedlings were used.

"Forest restoration is an important step in preserving natural resources and combating the consequences of military actions," the regional administration emphasized.

For reference:

It's important to mention that 80% of the forest plantations in the Sviati Hory National Park, located in the northern part of the Donetsk region, were destroyed as a result of the Russian Federation's aggressive invasion. The estimated environmental damage to the national park was about 16 billion hryvnias.

Rubryka also reported on the efforts to preserve forests in the National Park, which is situated in the frontline areas. The Sviati Hory National Park, located in the Donetsk region, is facing the challenge of fighting fires in mined forests, and it only has one fire truck to rely on.