We Develop and Implement Good Initiatives for Positive Changes,
for Better Nature and Life
At ForestCom, we are striving to implement good initiatives for better nature and life of the Ukrainian communities and beyond involving fresh ideas, professional, science based approach, and other crosscutting concepts.
Our programs and activities are designed to be oriented at developing and implementing forestry and community engagement projects in and around the cities, over favorite natural landscapes, nationally, and internationally.
We partner with everyone who wants to partner and share the community building opportunities with us.
We understand that peoples power can stop illegal logging for our sustainable and protected future.
We gather and share new knowledge with our communities and beyond.
We care about personal stories and
personal development.
Learn more about the positive impact we have and join us in bringing about positive change.
Our Roots
Here at Forest Initiatives and Communities, we know that to make the changes it requires dedication and a little support.
Our team established from the Forest Watch project staff run in Ukraine 2016-2019 to intensify development of civil society movement and forestry transparency in Ukraine including illegal logging mitigation and zero corruption tolerance.
Since our founding in 2020, our team is growing. We have been determined to make even stronger impact on Forestry and other well being sides of local Communities connected to nature. We develop and introduce the ideas for more transparent society, sustainable and wise use of forest resources, better protection of unique natural spots, climate change mitigation efforts, combating illegal logging, solidifying sustainable green practices and national policies, and many more for better nature and life.
Our Team
Dmytro Karabchuk
PhD, Head of NGO, Consultant
Dmytro is an inspiring founder of the ForestCom, 2019 laureate of Light of Justice award for forest protection, 2011-12 Fulbright Scholar.
Dmytro has a PhD in Forestry with more than 20 years of an experience in forestry issues in Ukraine and internationally. For the last five years Dmytro work was to organize fighting against corruption with the aim to decrease illegal forest activities in Ukraine by engaging communities and law enforcement together with WWF, Interpol and U.S. Forest Service. The activities include research, interactions with government officials and public activists, field investigations, media projects, and policy development.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
As a Ukrainian based forestry and nature protection expert, I am highly motivated in applying the best available knowledge to the forestry and other nature related areas, including improvement of national legislation and developing other sectors in Ukraine and beyond. My practical work as a manager focuses on administration, analysis, planning, organization, and day to day coordination mostly for domestic and internationally designed projects. Overall, I am experienced forest worker, field practitioner, data analyst, university educator, and a team manager. The scope of my scientific interest includes: plant community structure as an ecosystem sustainability examples (old growth, riparian, mountain, urban, and other forests), inventory of biomass/carbon in forest and individual plants, state-of-the-art in practices and policy of sustainable forest management (including state protected nature areas), monitoring of relevant English, Ukrainian, and Russian information including peer review publications. I feel comfortable interacting with organizations and in public settings around the globe. Thus, diverse background includes accomplishments in nonprofit and other organization funded projects (WWF, US Forest Service International Programs, Horizon 2020, Fulbright Program, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Northeastern States Research Cooperative, and others), as well as multinational experience while studying and practicing in the U.K. and the U.S.A.
Want to interact more with Dmytro on his FB page? press here
Oleh Chaskovskyy
PhD, Co-founder, Board Member, Deputy, Head of ForestCom "Forest Monitoring Lab"
Oleh has a PhD in Forestry (Remote Sensing) and is experienced in Forest Research and Education near 30 years. He is a DAAD scholar to the University of Freiburg and is very fluent in German.
Oleh has extensive experience in national and international scientific GIS literature review, he published a book and many scientific articles (including world leading) related to GIS, forestry, and forest cover change identification including illegal logging monitoring. His latest projects participation include “DIABOLO” of “Horizon 2020”, Forest Watch of WWF. He is QGIS training course developer and very well-known professional trainer for GIS in forestry at Ukrainian National Forestry University, State Forest Resources of Ukraine Centre of Training, various nature protected area institutions.
Oleh is involved in near real time forest monitoring initiatives including analysis of satellite images, and other remote sensing means, implementation of GIS in forestry mapping projects.
Ihor Skolskyy
PhD, Co-Founder, Board Memeber, consultant
Ihor has a PhD in Forestry (Forest Planting) and is a Corresponding Member of Forestry Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Ihor is very well experienced in Forest Field Monitoring, including drone navigation, and other Forestry Research topic. He works at the Research Department of the Ukrainian National Forestry University since 2008. His active engagement in civil society movement to protect forests from illegal logging started in 2017 while helping to manage the Forest Watch project.
Ihor is working on supervising, planning, and helping to implement the project activities in the field and organizing other events.
Ostap Ednak
Member, Advocacy Support Expert, "DeepForest" project CEO
Ostap is a Member of Ukrainian Parliament 2015-2019, an ex-Secretary of the Committee of environmental policy, natural resources and liquidation of consequences of Chornobyl nuclear disaster. He also was a Member of Executive Board of Interpol Forestry Crime Working Group, 2018-2019. Ostap served as a Member of Steering Committee of European Union Project on support of approximation of Ukrainian legislation to EU standards in environmental field APENA, 2015-2019.
Ostap has Global MBA Degree at IBR Steinbeis University Berlin, Master at International Economic Relations at Ivan Franko National University of L’viv. He successfully completed Executive Course on Oil, Gas and Mining Governance at University of Oxford.
Ostap also is a Member of the Board of NGO “National Interests Advocacy Network ANTS”, which unites former Parliament and Government decision-makers, experts and practitioners, who are dedicated to protect the Ukrainian National Interests.
Ostap organized and coordinated successful advocacy campaigns to adopt and implement major environmental laws On Environmental Impact Assessment, On Strategic Environmental Assessment, On Water Management, which were in full compliance with EU legislation.
Taras Kharachko
PhD, Member, Head of ForestCom "Forest Recovery Center"
Taras has a PhD in Forestry (Forest Species Distribution). Since 2013 he works as an Assistant Professor of Forest Plantations Department in Ukrainian National Forestry University.
Taras is very well experienced in Tree Nursing and Forest Planting. He manages his own tree nursery and has a tree collection of more than 150 species. Taras is deeply involved in research and scientific University work, he has more than 30 publications in scientific literature. Taras is also very passionate about ornithology and especially loves constructing his own designed bird houses.
Taras is involved in developing tree planting initiatives, as well as managing urban forestry, city gardening, volunteers, and other community oriented projects.
Leonid Osadchuk
Doctor of Science, Member, Head of ForestCom “Timber Identification Lab”
Leonid learned his PhD in 1997 and a Doctor of Science degree in 2013 in Forestry, a Member of Forestry Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
He supervises the Department of Botany, Wood Science and Non-timber Forest Resources in Ukrainian National Forestry University and works as a professor of forest commodities, forest chemistry and other non-timber products. The Department is a home for a “Wood Science Laboratory”.
Leonid has more than 30 years of scientific and education experience, participated in the development of state standards of Ukraine, is an author and co-author of over 100 scientific and methodical publications.
In 2015, Leonid hosted an Educational Symposium "Non-Timber Forest Products: Current State and Values in Recent Social-Ecological-Economic Context. International Perspective" at the Ukrainian National Forestry University and participated in the US Forest Service organized Non-timber Forest Products Study Tour to the USA.
In ForestCom Leonid is developing initiatives to establish methods for identification of timber origin and other use of forest products.
Ihor Aleksiyuk
PhD, Member, Forestry Software Developer
Ihor completed his Forestry Master degree from Ukrainian National Forestry University in 2011 and received his PhD from National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine in 2015 for applying programming solutions to forest inventory and management processes.
Ihors’ working career included experience in State Inventory Organization “Derzlisproect” and “Biological Resources of Ukraine”, as well as a State Consulting Agency “LIATS”. Ihor is one of the programming specialists that developed Electronic Timber Accounting System in Ukraine, designed a number of software applications for forest management operations including “SmallForest” indicating state forest grid system, “List of accounted trees”, “Log Volume Identification” and others.
Ihor is keen to develop further his programming skill and initiatives based on Machine Learning and “Artificial Intelligence” algorithms for further development of transparent and modern forestry sector.
We are united together with many other scientists and experts around Ukraine and all over the Globe to bring
good initiatives for positive change for better nature and life.
Together with other our colleagues the list of which is much bigger than a space here, we proud to facilitate stronger connections between communities and foresters for better sustainable development of the communities and to influence the climate change trajectory.
You are invited to CONTACT US with your initiatives or questions, or to schedule a meeting.
Our approach
We implement our mission through:
Education and facilitation;
Civil capacity development;
Community oriented projects;
Sustainable urban and forestry initiatives;
Analytical and scientific projects;
Scientific and Environmental Activism Partnerships;
Community and NGOs partnerships
Our Project Ideas include:
1. Illegal logging mitigation initiatives
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Establishment of Forest Monitoring Lab
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Establishment of an Independent Forest Monitoring Alert System for experts and public users (DeepForest project)
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Establishment of Wood Identification Lab
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Introducing Electronic Mapping of Forest Activities
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Illegal logging estimation activities
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Policy Work
2. Sustainable Forestry initiatives
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Climate Change Forest Adaptation (Close to Nature Oriented Forestry Concept)
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Payment for Ecosystem Services Concept for cities
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Managing Forests for Habitats
3. Community oriented initiatives
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social thematic oriented projects
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development of volunteers movement
4. Sustainable urban forestry initiatives include:
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Nature restoration projects
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Tree planting for communities and conservation
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Help city administration with urban forestry project implementation
5. Education and facilitation
Our sprouts
Our activities are structured within three main branches:
1-Forest Monitoring Lab
2-Timber Identification Lab
3-Forest Restoration Center
Forest Monitoring Lab
Aim: Identification of forest cover changes
Approach: Near real-time monitoring of forest cover by satellite, aerial and terrestrial surveys.
Tasks:
1. Annual estimation of Ukrainian Carpathian forest cover losses and other territories on request.
2. Periodical observation of satellite images (at least every two months (depending on weather conditions at the seasons), loss of forest cover of the Ukrainian Carpathians;
3. Preliminary identification of forest management activities on satellite images (area, location).
4. Terrestrial observations of the situation on ground in relation to deforestation and other forest cover changes, including the field site observations and use of drones with creation of orthophotomaps.
5. Collection of information from volunteers on positions of illegal logging and detailed analysis of satellite images for further field trips.
6. Publication of reports on the loss of forest cover of the Ukrainian Carpathians and other needed territories and the share of illegal logging.
Timber Identification Lab
Aim: identification and analysis (research) of wood samples.
Approach: application of generally accepted scientific methods for wood origin identification, including illegal logging cases and trade of wood of illegal origin
Tasks:
1. Identification of wood species, timber quality and, as a result, its grade by morphological, qualitative, and physical-mechanical properties of wood samples.
2. Cooperation with law enforcement agencies, the State Institute of Forensic Science and other institutions for forensic research of wood samples.
3. Study and implementation of various methods for assessing the origin of wood samples:
1. Wood Anatomy visual and microscope examinations;
2. Physical and Mechanical analysis;
3. Chemical Analysis;
4. DNA fingerprints;
5. Isotopes;
6. Spectroscopic methods, including Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy;
7. Chromatography and Spectrometry methods, including Liquid chromatography/time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (LC/TOF/MS) and others -existing capacities in Ukraine.
4. Establishment of an interregional Forensic Wood Laboratory in Lviv and conducting international case studies.
Forest Restoration Center
Aim: to promote dialogue between public and administrative institutions in the field of forest/tree restoration for better nature and life.
Approach: Involve active citizens, organizations, professional foresters, nature protection specialists, state administration for common actions to protect, restore, and create natural habitats and green spaces.
Tasks:
1. Design forest restoration projects and participate in their implementation.
2. Design and implement urban forestry projects.
3. Advocate for restoration of natural forests with high biodiversity compositions and complex structures.
4. Promote natural regeneration and understory sapling establishment.
5. Assess the quality of reforestation and afforestation works.
6. Study the impact and assess the threats of global warming to forest and urban plantations, create plantation communities adaptable to climate change.
8. Help nature protected areas to preserve and restore natural habitats, etc.
9. Prepare, implement, and review landscaping projects.
10. Restore riparian, wind protection, snow retention, anti-erosion, urban, and other high value forests.
12. Implement community and social oriented projects for improving local communities, certain society groups.
Involve volunteers in:
• actions on tree planting;
• various assistance needed for nature protected areas, habitat restoration, general nature protection activities, and other environmental actions;
• expeditions, field research and collection of information useful for environmental projects;
• fulfilling the role of local nature interpretation guides;
• assisting members of the organization in the implementation of various project initiatives, research or actions.
