Supporting responsible forest management is one of the areas of FSC Ukraine's activities in terms of information, training, and methodological support for practical implementation of FSC standard in Ukraine. The important role of best practices in ensuring value transformations in the forest management system in Ukraine to increase the well-being of society and maintain high environmental quality is a leitmotif for stakeholders who are participants in this project. It is primarily about those best practices that go beyond established approaches to forest management, requiring mostly additional requirements implemented in FSC standard for Ukraine, as well as those that are accompanied by positive environmental, economic and social effects and are in line with FSC values. The project goals brought together many participants – from forestry enterprises holding FSC certificates to public organizations, representatives of the educational and scientific community.
The expert analysis of the management system and forestry practices of FSC certificate holders carried out in Phase 1 of the project (2023) showed both their strengths and weaknesses. The results of a survey of forestry enterprises, publicly available information on assessment of forest management system compliance by certification bodies, and expert field research were the basis for expert opinions on the need to strengthen the integration of forest certification requirements into the management and production processes of forestry enterprises.
Focusing on environmental values as a component of FSC standard for Ukraine, the analysis has shown, among other things, the need for systemic changes in terms of documenting the relevant processes defined by the standard. The development and testing of procedures (documented sequence of actions) to meet the requirements of the standard for representative sample areas of native ecosystems and high conservation values is the focus of FSC Ukraine’s experts in this year's phase of the project.
The combination of knowledge and experience of experts and forestry specialists contributed to the drafting of the above procedures as an element of best practices in accordance with FSC standard for Ukraine. Their presentation to the general public during the seminar "Procedures for environmental values in accordance with FSC® forest stewardship standard for Ukraine" (September 26, 2024) has confirmed their importance for ensuring responsible forest management, preventing risks of non-compliance with forest certification requirements and obtaining long-term effects.
Cooperation with forestry employees in the framework of desk and field testing of draft procedures, their openness and willingness to improve the management system and forestry practices created a positive working environment at every stage of their involvement in the drafting of documents. For example, the recent field testing of the draft procedures, which took place at the Delyatyn Forestry Branch of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", brought together a team of forest certification officers from the branch and experts from FSC Ukraine (Oksana Pavlishchuk, Andrii Churilov), NGO "Forestcom" (Taras Kharachko), and NGO "Ecosphere" (Oksana Stankevych-Volosyanchuk) from October 30 to November 1, 2024. Over the course of 3 days, the team visited a number of representative sample areas of native forest and non-forest ecosystems, as well as high conservation values. All of them were recommended by experts using the developed draft procedures. Confirming the status of these sites, assessing and identifying measures to maintain, preserve and enhance them was a matter of teamwork and lively discussions. The variety of terrain elevations (from 600 m to 1500 m) and landscape elements (beech, spruce, fir forests, rocky placers, water bodies, etc.) provided a sufficient basis for testing the draft procedures for their practicality in different conditions. In general, field testing of the draft procedures at the Delyatyn Forestry Branch of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" has become not only a guideline for improving their management system, but also a significant contribution to the formation and dissemination of best practices in responsible forestry.
The project will continue in 2025 to demonstrate and disseminate best practices for implementing expert procedures for representative sample areas of native ecosystems and high conservation values in FSC certified forestry enterprises. Commitment to FSC values and willingness of FSC certificate holders to continuously improve are factors in positive transformations in the forest management system. And it is not about technical operational changes in the process of management and production decision-making, but about changing the philosophy and perception of their mission as those whose work determines the opportunities for a quality living environment and human well-being.
Pavlo Kravets, Director of FSC Ukraine, said: "The project of responsible forest management best practices is developing and achieving its goals. We observe an increasing involvement of not only experts, but also, most importantly, responsible specialists of the branches in incorporation of FSC standard for Ukraine into the management and production processes of forest management. This approach to implementing the requirements of FSC certification has a long-term effect, as well as the benefits of increasing the capacity and developing the competencies of the certificate holders' personnel".
