Firewood without fines: how to legally harvest fuel in 2025
Фото: pixabay
In 2025, most Ukrainians use gas for heating, but some people still choose firewood as an alternative source of heat. At the same time, not everyone knows where to legally harvest wood to avoid fines and criminal liability.
This is reported by ” News.LIVE “.
In Ukraine, firewood harvesting and logging are strictly controlled by the state. According to current legislation, all trees growing outside private land plots, including fallen or dead trees, belong to the state or official forestry structures – forestry departments and forest enterprises.
Unauthorized logging or harvesting of timber without permits is considered illegal in most cases. However, the law contains certain exceptions.
Lawyer Oleg Kozlyak explained that cutting down trees is only allowed on one’s own plot. All other cases are considered a violation, since the wood is state property or is under the management of authorized bodies.
“To put it simply, except for cutting down trees on your own plot, nowhere. The legislation clearly stipulates that wood is a resource that belongs to the state or authorized structures. Therefore, unauthorized cutting is often a violation of the law,” the lawyer noted.
He recalled that in accordance with Article 65 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses and Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, both administrative and criminal penalties are provided for unauthorized felling, damage, or use of wood without permission.
Violators face fines, restrictions, or imprisonment, including:
- for violation of the procedure for harvesting wood or resin – from 102 to 238 hryvnias;
- for illegal felling or damage to trees – from 510 to 1,020 hryvnias;
- for repeated violation within a year – from 1,020 to 1,530 hryvnias;
- for damage to protective forest stands – from 510 to 680 hryvnias.
In addition, illegal logging or sale of wood is punishable by criminal liability with a fine of 17,000 to 25,500 hryvnias.
To avoid conflicts with the law, before harvesting firewood, it is worth contacting local authorities, landscaping agencies or forestry to obtain an official permit. You should also keep documents confirming the origin of the wood – invoices, receipts or special permits.
It was previously reported that despite the difficult circumstances , the full heating season in Ukraine will begin in the coming days . The Minister of Energy of Ukraine, Svitlana Grinchuk, assured that the government will not allow any delays in its start.
By the way, in Ukraine, it is expected that the heating system will be operational in all settlements of the country within the next ten days . At the same time, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has amended the resolution on the heating season , updating the dates of its beginning and end.
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