Serhiy Tsapok stood amidst the burned remnants of what had once been luscious pine forests; his face furrowed with tiredness and despair. “They’re dead now,” the 41-year-old ranger mourned, examining the burnt stumps of trees he’d tended for over two decades. Tsapok’s daily voyage through the forests of eastern Ukraine, once a symbol of joy and natural beauty, has become a sobering reminder of the Ukraine’s Forests destroyed by War.

A fire started by an unidentified explosion damaged three hectares of 80-year-old pine trees in Sviati Hory National Nature Park. This represents only a small portion of the damage inflicted by the ongoing fighting. According to officials, fires and military munitions have destroyed around 80% of the park’s 12,000 hectares. The bigger picture is much bleaker: War has ravaged Ukraine’s terrain, including much of its 10 million hectares of forests. Every day, shells rain down, tearing the ground apart in a manner reminiscent of trench warfare during World War I.

A War on Nature: The Effects on Forests and Wildlife

After 31 months of conflict, experts in forestry, ecology, and demining said that Ukraine’s forests destroyed by war were in shambles. Serhiy Pryimachuk, the director of Sviati Hory National Park, called the loss “enormous.” Once a haven of natural beauty amid an industrialised area, the park has been converted into a landscape of devastation. Maintaining the surviving forests has become a dangerous endeavour—mines and unexploded ordnance clutter the ground, making forestry a potentially deadly occupation. Ranger Oleksandr Polovynko nearly died when he stepped on a landmine while tending to the forest. Although he survived, it took him six months to heal and resume work.

Much of eastern Ukraine’s forests are now desolate plains filled with broken trunks, and the destruction extends beyond the trees. Local fauna has been seriously harmed, with deer, boars, and birds losing their natural homes. In northern Ukraine, the War has even impacted endangered species like the Przewalski’s horse, which used to thrive in the Chernobyl natural reserve. Ecologist Oleh Lystopad says that the survival of this species is now in doubt as landmines hamper efforts to extinguish fires in the area.

The War has also severely impacted Ukraine’s unique flora. According to Brian Milakovsky, a US-based forester who worked in Ukraine for eight years, the fighting has ravaged the country’s dense pine woods, which are especially prone to fire. Milakovsky stated that the situation is particularly grave in Russian-occupied districts, where officials have limited control over the fires. In the Luhansk region alone, 80% of the pine forests have been devastated.

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The Bleak Environmental Legacy and the Road to Recovery

The War’s environmental harm extends beyond Ukraine’s woods. It has spread to the country’s soil, rivers, and air, with the area now littered with unexploded mines and munitions. The environmental situation is massive; fixing it will take decades and cost billions of dollars. According to Ukraine’s environment ministry, mines and explosive ordnance have contaminated 425,000 hectares of forest, with up to 3 million hectares yet to be inspected. Experts believe it will take up to 70 years to clear the land altogether.

Rangers and forest workers continue to be in mortal danger, with 14 murdered by landmines, booby traps, or shelling during the battle. Efforts to rejuvenate the forests will be time-consuming and costly, in the billions of dollars. Certain areas may never be restored. The World Bank assessed in February 2024 that the War had caused more than $30 billion in environmental damage, including the loss of Ukraine’s carbon capture capacity and protected natural areas. Finally, Ukraine’s forests represent the War’s overall environmental catastrophe. The destruction of its ecosystems, fauna, and natural heritage will leave a grim legacy that could take decades if not longer, to recover. The scope of destruction is enormous, and the road to recovery remains uncertain.

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