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Table of Contents
Overview
Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has faced numerous challenges in adapting forest management to a transitioning economic and political context. As Ukraine’s forested area is among the largest in Eastern Europe (7.8 million hectares), the ability of land management agencies to sustainably manage forest and natural resources is of great importance to Ukraine and the region. Kiev has the largest amount of green space of any European city and offers many recreational opportunities. The Crimea in southern Ukraine represents the main tourist destination for Ukraine with its beaches, mountains, and cliffs along the Black and Azov Seas, forested areas to the south, and numerous protected areas with scenic, ecological, and cultural significance. Many economic development opportunities exist. Sustainability of forestry, tourism, and other uses will rely on effective planning and management to ensure the health of the ecosystems.
US Forest Service teams are working with both Ukrainian and USG partners to review priority issues facing the natural resources sector and to identify possible opportunities for collaboration.
Fire Risk in Chernobyl
The April 26, 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located 130 kilometers north of Kiev, had wide-ranging effects on the surrounding natural environment and society. Following the accident, a thirty kilometer Exclusion Zone (EZ), approximately 300,000 hectares, was established in an effort to evacuate the local population and restrict access to the heavily contaminated area. About 2/3 of the area is covered by Scotch-pine dominated boreal forest and grasslands make up the rest. Since the 1986 explosion, little active vegetation management to reduce the amount of fuel in the forests has taken place in the EZ due to decreasing budgets and inability to utilize contaminated wood. Increased detection methods and suppression efforts following severe fires in 1992 have been relatively effective. The EZ has a mandate to suppress all fires, however, forestry and fire specialists have expressed growing concern that the area’s forest density, composition, and fuel structure after years with few or no fires are contributing to a high fire risk within the EZ, and associated health threats.
Forests play a significant role in sequestering contaminants, and ensuring a healthy forest condition in the EZ can help alleviate potential risks from fire. Since 2006, USFS specialists have been working with Ukrainian counterparts to assess current and future fire risk in the EZ and provide recommendations for reducing fire potential. The teams have reviewed existing information on vegetation, forest inventory, forest health, hazardous fuel loads, seasonal and annual fire occurrence, and management plans. They have also recommended a number of steps that could be taken to mitigate the risk of a catastrophic fire, including fuel inventory and reduction, active fire monitoring, and understanding risks from smoke.
Protected Area Management in the Crimea
Increased recreational use in the Crimea is exceeding the resource capacity of forests and protected areas in the region. Managing these areas for the development of low-impact tourism could help to alleviate some of the pressure placed on the natural resources in the region. Additionally, sustainable harvest of non-timber forest products and effective community involvement hold the potential to not only improve the natural resource base but to enhance local governance and community investment. The USFS is working with various government and non-government agencies in the Crimea to address protected area management concerns such as use of non-timber forest products and sustainable tourism.
Partners:
- US Agency for International Development (USAID)-Ukraine
- US Department of State
- US Foreign Agriculture Service
- National University of Agriculture and Natural Science
- Moscow State University Branch, Sevastopol, Ukraine
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