The National Sustainable Forest Business Strategy

Seeking Expert Feedback: Sustainable Wood Business Development Strategy for Ukraine’s Green Recovery

Dear colleagues and experts,

We are pleased to share the draft of the "Sustainable Wood Business Development Strategy for Ukraine"—a critical roadmap designed to align Ukraine’s wood-based sector with EU sustainability standards, drive value-added production, and position the industry as a central pillar of the nation's green, post-war recovery. This strategy is built on a Triple-Layered Business Model (economic, environmental, and social) and emphasizes data-driven decision-making, rigorous compliance, and turning sustainability into a competitive advantage.

This strategy has been developed by the research team from the Ukrainian National Forestry University within the framework of the Horizon Project CircHive.

We are actively seeking your collaborative, constructive feedback on the following complex and crucial areas of the strategy:

1. Data-Driven Environmental Management (Chapter 2): Does our proposed use of ENCORE Assessment, Biodiversity Footprint Analysis, and Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) provide sufficient rigor for Ukrainian companies? Are there specific metrics or data sources you believe are more immediately actionable?
2. EUDR Compliance and Traceability (Chapter 3): Given the regulatory complexities, we need sharp insights into the feasibility of the proposed Due Diligence System, particularly regarding geolocation data collection and verification within the current infrastructure. What are the key bottlenecks we might be missing?
3. Policy Rethinking and Alignment (Chapter 5): The strategy concludes with a call to fundamentally rethink wood-based policy. What specific national legislative changes or international advocacy points are most vital to facilitate the strategy’s goals and ensure seamless integration with the evolving EU bioeconomy framework?
4. Monitoring Framework (Chapter 6): We have proposed a set of comprehensive KPIs across economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Which of these KPIs should be prioritized as mandatory reporting requirements for accountability and effectiveness in the initial 1-3 years of implementation?
5. Key risks and targeted mitigations (Chapter 7): Which of them are crucial?
6. Rethinking Wood-Based Policy: Concluding Remarks Chapter 8: The development of Ukraine's wood-based sector within a sustainable framework necessitates a fundamental rethinking of existing policy paradigms, both domestically and at the international level. 

We invite you to review the full document and provide your comments directly on the relevant chapters. Your expertise, particularly in the context of the CircHive project's goals, is invaluable in ensuring this strategy is resilient, practical, and highly effective for fostering a green, competitive future for Ukraine's wood sector.

Please send your suggestions to soloviy@yahoo.co.uk

Thank you for your time and contribution to this vital work.

Ihor Soloviy | Orest Kiyko | Oksana Pelyuh | Mykhailo Ilkiv