Ukraine’s Vast Forests Devastated in the Hellscape of War

By Max Hunder

SVIATI HORY NATIONAL PARK, Ukraine – Serhiy Tsapok looked over the charred remnants of pine trees, where blackened stumps stretch as far as he can see, evidence of a ravaged landscape.

"They’re dead now," lamented Tsapok, a weary ranger who had tended to these trees for nearly twenty years. What once brought him joy in his daily patrols through the Ukrainian forests has turned into a nightmare. "Now when I’m driving, it’s better to just stare at the road."

A recent fire, triggered by an undetermined explosion, destroyed three hectares of mature pine trees in Sviati Hory National Park, as reported by local officials. They indicated that four-fifths of the park’s nearly 12,000 hectares have been damaged or devastated by fires and military ordnance.

This destruction is just a fraction of the broader devastation inflicted by the war, which has severely scarred Ukraine’s extensive forested areas. The ongoing conflict involves both Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanging thousands of shells daily, tearing apart the land in a grim echo of World War I trench warfare.

Innovative methods of destruction have emerged, too. In September, videos circulated showing a Ukrainian drone using a scorching substance to ignite a line of trees, prompting them to catch fire.

Interviews with nearly 20 experts—forest rangers, ecologists, demining specialists, and government officials—reveal the extensive harm inflicted upon Ukraine’s forests by this enduring war, now spanning 31 months.

Serhiy Pryimachuk, director of Sviati Hory National Park, stated that Russian munitions have devastated large areas that were once a cherished natural landscape within a heavily industrialized region. "What we have lost is enormous," he said.

Working in the forests has become perilous due to hidden mines and unexploded shells, which pose lethal threats. Oleksandr Polovynko, a ranger, narrowly escaped losing a foot after stepping on a mine last year. "I crawled back to the car and drove home with one leg," he recalled, taking six months to return to work.

The devastation has left many forests in eastern Ukraine reduced to fields of shattered trunks. Local fauna, including deer, boars, and woodpeckers, have suffered significantly as their habitats vanish, although assessing biodiversity loss remains challenging.

In the Chornobyl nature reserve, the pre-war population of over 100 endangered Przewalski’s horses has been severely impacted, with landmines complicating firefighting efforts. Ecologist Oleh Lystopad stated, "Right now, it’s in question to what extent this species can continue to exist there."

In the face of an invading army, protecting natural environments is not a top priority for Ukraine. However, the war’s impact on forests contributes to a broader environmental crisis, potentially leaving a lasting legacy of degradation, from poisoned land and rivers to polluted air, all while vast tracts remain laced with mines.

Illegal logging has exacerbated the destruction of Ukraine’s forests, compounded by war-related factors—airstrikes can ignite catastrophic fires, while constant shelling reduces once-thriving forests to mere stumps. Dense pine forests in eastern Ukraine, particularly susceptible to fire, have been severely impacted, according to Brian Milakovsky, a forester who spent years working in Ukraine.

The devastation is particularly severe in regions controlled by Russian forces, where authorities seem ill-equipped to combat forest fires. Milakovsky noted that about 80% of pine forests in Luhansk have been annihilated.

Estimates indicate that around 425,000 hectares of forest across Ukraine have been contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance—an area roughly half the size of Cyprus. The government still needs to inspect up to 3 million hectares of forest likely filled with hazardous material left behind by Russian troops.

Ruslan Strilets, Ukraine’s environment minister at the time of his July interview, lamented the danger of extinguishing fires quickly due to the pervasive mines. "There is a risk of being killed or maimed," he stated.

The toll on forest workers has been grave, with 14 individuals killed due to mines, traps, and shelling, as per government data. During two separate instances in Donetsk, onlookers observed rangers and firefighting teams from narrow, cleared paths as flames consumed the undergrowth ahead.

Reportedly, teams are methodically clearing tracks through Sviati Hory’s forests, with deminers indicating that navigating through wooded areas is significantly more complex than open fields. "It requires inch-by-inch manual clearance," explained Adam Komorowski, a regional director at a nonprofit organization focused on mine action.

Experts assert that restoring the damage to forests will take decades and require financial investments amounting to billions. Some have expressed skepticism about whether certain heavily mined areas will ever be revitalized, drawing parallels to previous European conflicts where forests became permanently off-limits.

Strilets indicated that it will take "many, many years" post-war to fully assess the forest damages. The current projection for demining all contaminated lands, including forests and agricultural spaces, spans approximately 70 years.

Forestry specialists emphasize that the regeneration of impacted areas will be intricate and costly. Conflict-related forest fires have emitted greenhouse gases equivalent to millions of tonnes of CO2, undermining Ukraine’s carbon capture capabilities.

A recent World Bank assessment projected that the war’s toll on forests and other natural reserves, such as marshes and wetlands, has surpassed $30 billion. This total consists of $3.3 billion in direct conflict damage, $26.5 billion in broader environmental costs, and a $2.6 billion repair estimate.

Ukraine maintains that Russia should be held accountable for the resultant destruction. Maksym Popov, an advisor on environmental issues to the chief prosecutor, revealed that Ukraine is pursuing numerous criminal cases against Russia concerning the devastation of its forests.