Forests destroyed by war are being restored in Mykolaiv region

In Mykolaiv region, forests damaged by Russian shelling and fires are being restored.

Oleksandr Chykachov, head of the Voznesenskoye superforestry of the Southern Forest Office branch of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", told Suspilne about this.

The Voznesenskoye forestry grows seedlings that will be planted in the fall in place of the destroyed plantations. For this purpose, special boxes are used, which allows to obtain more high-quality planting material on a smaller area. The current batch of seedlings will be enough to restore about 40 hectares of forest. Planting of the damaged areas began in 2023.

Seedlings. PHOTO: Suspilne Mykolaiv

Oleksandr Hrytsai, director of the Southern Forest Office branch, noted that in addition to shelling, fires also cause significant damage to forests. It is reported that the first large-scale fire occurred on August 8. Currently, land cultivation equipment is working with an emphasis on mineralizing strips so that in case of a fire, the fire does not spread further.

Firefighters near the vehicles. PHOTO: Suspilne Mykolaiv

Earlier, the State Ecological Inspectorate of the Southwestern District reported that the fire destroyed 40 hectares of a forest tract near Mykolaiv. On August 11, in the evening, a large-scale fire broke out in the Andriyivskyi forest tract near Mykolaiv. The fire destroyed 40 hectares of forest. The fire released about 30 thousand tons of pollutants into the atmosphere, including 28.5 tons of carbon dioxide. The total damage from the excessive emissions amounted to UAH 110 million. The State Emergency Service emphasizes that such fires not only destroy natural ecosystems but also negatively affect air quality.

Катерина Глушко