In Ukraine, launched the project "Forest Guard"-volunteers on the Guard of forests

In recent years, the news editions do not go through the plots of large-scale deforestation that have an explicit illegal nature, primarily in the Carpathians and in Polissya.

Given the conviction of society in the irresponsible attitude of the existing forestry system to local forests, incomprehensible and corrupt work of forestry services, inertia and often ineffective work of environmental Inspections and other law enforcement agencies in the field of detection and prevention of forest disorders… The effective system of public monitoring and control of forestry in Ukraine has not existed yet.

That’s why the “Forest Guard” project has set itself a suitable goal – the development of civil society, which can influence the solution of critical problems, support of activists of the existing environmental movement, creation of effective public control over Forestry.

The project envisages professional training of volunteers and assist in the raids, especially the forests of the regions of Kyiv and Lviv oblasts. During which the violations are found for transferring to the control bodies.

The first training took place on October 8-9 in Boyarka, near Kyiv. 16 volunteers from Kyiv and environs gathered on it, which somehow were motivated to learn about the fight against the forest violations. One of the volunteers is a participant of public organizations, who are treated by neighboring areas of the forest, someone works as the inspector of the Natural Reserve Fund protection service; Some are active tourist and traveling, and someone just has free time and wants to devote themselves to the fight for the preservation of our forests.
During the “Forest Guard”, coaches have made it clear to volunteers that forestry activities are not a chaotic process, as many seem to be a complicated and complex activity, regulated by the relevant documents. And the knowledge of how the area of the scar is defined as determined by the state of the tree and the volume of the cut wood-allows to control the activity of forest farms.
During the field visits in the forests of the Boyarskaya Forest Research Station volunteers got the opportunity to understand how to properly be carried out forestry, which is a dimensional fork or altimeter, learned to measure correctly the trees and The sequence of actions in the fixation of forest violations on different types and stages of proceeds, including using for this tame means (smartphone, measuring roulette etc.) has been worked out.

The volunteers expressed a fervent desire to apply the knowledge received in practice and will wait for the first real raids. Therefore forestry of Kiev region may already be afraid of inspections;-)
Lastly, I want to thank Boyarska Forest Research Station for the complete assistance and assistance in carrying out training!

by Materials wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/