PLANTATION FORESTRY AND ENERGY PLANTATIONS IN UKRAINE: RESOURCE POTENTIAL AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

Abstract

Forest plantation cultivation for today and for the future is the most important factor of increasing wood resource in Ukraine. Therefore, it is important to develop special programmes for growing short-rotation plantations and their widespread introduction into forestry production to meet the industrial needs for wood and also wood as a renewable energy source. The conversion of part of the Forest Fund area (8-10 %) to forest plantation cultivation will make it possible to obtain significant amounts of wood (1.2-1.7 thousand m3/ha) for industrial purpose in a relatively short period of time, reduce the volume of cutting in primary forest stands, optimize the energy balance of the country due to the production of wood on energy plantations, part ially replace fossil fuels with cheaper and renewable wood raw material. The practical aspects of the introduction of forest plantations and energy plantations with the participation of fast-growing species in the territory of the western region of Ukraine are considered. Identified is the place of forest plantations in the general cycle of forest cultivation on the principles of species alternation.

Keywords

• plantation forestry
• forest plantations
• fast-growing tree species
• energy plantations
• species alternation