According to Valentyna Meshkova, head of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agromelioration, closer interaction between foresters and scientists will give a much greater economic and environmental effect.
Despite the large-scale war
“During the war we we continue to plant greenery in our country. Moreover, there are plans to build modern breeding and seed centers in 8 oblasts in order to increase the capacity for growing planting material in the coming years, “said Yuriy Bolokhovets, head of the State Forestry Agency. We will remind, according to the state program “Green country” approved by the presidential decree in 2021, for 3 years in the country it was supposed to land 1 billion saplings.
At the request of DT.UA Valentina Meshkova, Head of the Plant Protection Laboratory of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Agromelioration, Professor of Kharkiv Agrarian University, shared her vision of the program.
areas planted with new forest.
“Of course, as a result of hostilities, some forests were burned, many forests were mined. But where possible, forest management is being done, and that's great. However, the forest should be planted where it is needed. It should be borne in mind that the planted forest will have to take care of, ie spend energy and resources. so it is better to plant a forest in a small area, but to bring it to maturity, than to cover new areas that are not always suitable for forest, but more environmentally friendly, such as steppe or swamp, “she said.
“And I would not advise to spend energy and resources just to report on the created areas, and then several times to supplement and transplant forest crops,” – added the scientist.
Valentyna Meshkova also stressed the current underestimation of the role of science in Ukraine's forestry. In particular, 40-year-old climatic indicators are still used in forest management projects. Ukrainian biologists communicate with foreign colleagues, they work at the level of the latest advances in science, but this is often done in conditions of underfunding with pure enthusiasm.
”Climate conditions change, in particular, due to human actions. In each region and in each afforestation they become less or less favorable for certain species of plants, for animals that are associated with these plants. as well as for their natural enemies. Therefore, changes are and will be, but incompetent decisions must be avoided, “said Valentina Meshkova.
Read also: Global land degradation – a threat to human existence – UN report
Dr. Meshkova was forced to leave from Kharkiv , which is under constant bombardment by the Russian occupiers, and now temporarily lives in one of the European countries, without ceasing to study science. In particular, together with colleagues he is working on “Technical Guidelines for the Protection of Forests from Pests and Diseases”, the draft state standard “Forest Protection and Protection”, “Atlas of Symptoms and Signs of Damage and Damage to Forest Trees by Pests”, etc.
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