THE IMPACT OF MILITARY ACTIONS ON FOREST ECOSYSTEMS OF UKRAINE AND THEIR POST-WAR RESTORATION

Abstract

Introduction. Military operations in Ukraine make a negative impact on forest ecosystems. More than 59,000 hectares of forests and other plantations were destroyed. Forests were and are being damaged not only in the East and North of the country but also in other regions that are under shelling and bombing. After the end of the war, Ukraine's environment and forest ecosystems will need to be restored. Ukraine, Europe, as well as Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia already experienced such recovery after the First and Second World Wars and other conflicts.
The purpose of the work is the analysis of negative factors during military operations that cause damage to forest ecosystems, and the main directions and tasks for their post-war restoration.
Methods. Methods of information analysis from open sources and mass media, generalisation and systematisation were used.
Results. Several main factors of the influence of military actions on forest ecosystems are singled out, which include explosions of ammunition, rockets and mines, equipment and weapons depots, bullets and ammunition fragments, the falls of downed aircraft and missiles, the burning of drought and forest plantations, the movement of equipment, the construction of fortifications buildings, uncontrolled felling of trees, abandoned and buried bodies of dead people and animals, abandoned garbage, fuel and lubricants, abandoned equipment and weapons. Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants suffer mechanical and fire damage, the top layer of the soil is disturbed, and forest areas are polluted by remnants of equipment, weapons, fuel and lubricants, explosives, and products of combustion and explosions. The weakening  of plants causes the appearance of diseases and pests, and the abandoned or buried bodies of people and animals - the appearance of insects, the deterioration of sanitary conditions and the threat of the spread of diseases. Forest fires lead to the disruption of water regulation, soil protection, sanitary and hygienic and ecological functions of the forest.
At the state level, the Plan for the Restoration of Ukraine is being developed, which also includes the restoration of forests. The main tasks of forest restoration are demining, cleaning remnants of equipment, weapons and ammunition, forest inventory, carrying out sanitary felling, reburying the bodies of the dead, using wood and fragments of plants for economic purposes, waste disposal, and reforestation.
Conclusions. Military operations cause several factors of negative impacts on forest ecosystems, the causes of which are explosions, fires, soil disturbance, movement of equipment, and construction of fortifications. Forest ecosystems are polluted by fragments of equipment and ammunition, explosive objects, chemicals, household waste and other pollutants. The restoration of Ukraine's forests after the end of hostilities should take place by state programs, in compliance with safety requirements, after preliminary demining, decontamination, inventory and sanitary measures.