On 27 February 2026, the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities, with the support of the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme ‘Supporting Multi-Level Governance in Ukraine’, held a meeting of its Board with the aim of developing coordinated decisions in the field of forest land management. The event brought together the Association's leadership, representatives of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, central executive authorities, experts, and heads of territorial communities.
The meeting began with a presentation on Sweden's experience in forest management by Magnus Liljeström, Senior Advisor at SALAR International. The Swedish model, which combines economic efficiency with high environmental standards, formed the basis for further professional discussion.
Among the key challenges identified during the discussion were conflicts of authority between levels of local government, contradictions in land legislation, inconsistencies between the Land and Forest Codes regarding communal forests, risks of manipulation of self-forested lands, low fees for forest lands, and the lack of competitive procedures for determining forest users.
Taras Vysotsky, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, also joined the event and noted the importance of a strategic approach to forest land management:
"It is important that communities view forest resources not only as a natural asset, but also as a tool for economic development and filling local budgets. I support an approach where changes are prepared systematically and with the interests of communities in mind. At the same time, it is important to maintain a balance between environmental requirements, economic feasibility and the capacity of local authorities," said Taras Vysotsky.
The meeting confirmed support for the comprehensive legislative package proposed by the Association. This includes clearly defining communal property rights to forests, regulating issues of communal joint ownership, strengthening the financial capacity of local budgets, and updating approaches to forest resource use, taking into account ecological balance and economic feasibility.
Agreements were also reached on continuing the dialogue with the relevant ministry, particularly regarding the maintenance of field protection forest belts and the introduction of agroforestry in Ukraine.
The event marked the next step towards the formation of a systematic state policy in forest land management by local communities, as well as the strengthening of coordination between communities, parliament, and central executive authorities.
Photo: All-Ukrainian Association of Communities
