On October 2, 2025, an interagency meeting titled “Current Challenges of the Wood Processing Sector and the Impact of Timber Harvesting Levels on Industry Development” was held at the Ukrainian National Forestry University.
The meeting was attended by:
- Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration;
- Yuriy Kholod, Acting Head of the Lviv Regional Council;
- Andriy Teliupa, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine;
- Bohdan Kytsak, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Head of the Working Group on the Development and Implementation of State Policy in the Forestry, Wood Processing, and Furniture Industries of Ukraine;
- Oleksandr Kovalchuk, Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Deputy Head of the Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy in the Parliament of Ukraine;
- Representatives of the Ukrainian National Forestry University;
- Representatives of the State Forest Resources Agency of Ukraine;
- Representatives of State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”;
- Representatives of Ukrainian forest sector enterprises, media, and experts.
During the meeting, participants discussed the issue of ensuring adequate timber supply for the wood processing, furniture, and other sub-sectors of the forest-based industries. The participants emphasized that limited availability, high prices, and imperfect sales conditions for roundwood are critical factors significantly reducing the competitiveness of Ukraine’s forest sector.
It was noted that a balance between environmental requirements and the need to maintain industrial capacity in Ukraine’s forest sector has not yet been achieved.
A presentation was delivered by Professor Orest Kiyko, Acting Head of the Department of Furniture and Wood Products Technology at the Ukrainian National Forestry University. He analysed the key challenges in the development of Ukraine’s forest sector, drawing attention to the sharp decline in production and other negative impacts caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In his presentation, Professor Kiyko also outlined a number of important recommendations to improve the current situation in the forest sector of Ukraine.
As a result of the discussion, a decision was made to organize a roundtable with representatives of the Government of Ukraine in order to implement the proposals and recommendations expressed during the meeting.