The adoption of the law on the timber market, allowing the export of roundwood and green lumber from Ukraine, is forecasted until the end of 2021; its entry into force does not pose significant threats to the country's forest resources and related businesses.
“I predict that the law on the timber market will be adopted by the end of the year,” said Yuriy Bolokhovets, head of the State Agency for Forest Resources of Ukraine (Державне агентство лісових ресурсів України), told the Interfax-Ukraine agency in an interview. “I do not see any major threats either from the point of view of preserving the forest fund, or from the point of view of protecting and supporting Ukrainian business. We are already working at European prices, there are precedents for the import of raw materials from EU countries. Therefore, we do not expect any rush demand from exporters or foreign players,” he added.
According to the head of the State Forestry Agency, the Ukrainian log market was interesting for foreign players, until significant volumes of cheap illegally harvested wood were present there, but those times have already passed.
