By KYIV. May 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Black walnut, red oak, low elm, ash-leaved maple, bird cherry, and Pennsylvania ash are included in the list of 13 invasive alien tree species prohibited in reforestation in Ukraine, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources reported.
According to its press release, the list approved by Minister Ruslan Strilets by order No. 695/39751 also includes the highest ailanthus, Manchurian aralia, prickly honey locust, western carcass, narrow-leaved sucker, paulownia (species and hybrids) and ordinary Robinia.
“Now, these species are prohibited from being used to create and restore forests and shelterbelts in Ukraine. At the same time, trees planted before the entry into force of the list will not be cut down,” the ministry said.
The Ministry of Natural Resources said that alien tree species can change or destroy entire ecosystems: having no natural enemies in new territories, invasive species multiply rapidly, occupy space, and crowd out native species of natural landscapes.
The ministry said that before 2021 there was no comprehensive approach to resolving this issue in Ukraine. At the initiative of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Forest Regeneration Rules were updated, Ukraine’s State Forest Management Strategy until 2035 and the Biosafety and Biological Protection Strategy were adopted, which, in particular, prohibit the use of alien tree species.
The list of invasive species was developed by an interdepartmental working group created by the Ministry of Natural Resources, which included specialists from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, the National Forestry University of Ukraine, the State Forest Resources Agency and leading experts from environmental organizations.
