UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Russian invasion of Ukraine is affecting human lives and the environment. Essential water sources have been tainted due to infrastructure damage, while widespread deforestation and soil erosion present immediate threats to public health and delicate ecosystems.
Penn State Extension will explore these impacts during its webinar series, “The War in Ukraine: Impacts on the People, Forests, and Environment,” scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. Fridays, beginning March 1 and continuing through May 3. Anyone interested in this topic — the public, legislators, foresters, natural resource and environmental restoration professionals — is invited to attend any or all of the sessions.
Calvin Norman, assistant teaching professor of forestry in the College of Agricultural Sciences, created the series. Norman drew inspiration from an article titled “Ukraine War and the Forests: Visible Damage and Invisible Threats,” published in The Forestry Source newspaper.
Among the authors were Andrii Bilous, professor of forestry at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and former Woskob International Research in Agriculture scholar at Penn State, who is now actively serving in the Ukrainian army on the frontlines, and Lidiia Iavorivska, former leader of the Consortium for Ukrainian Rural Agricultural Development at Penn State and currently an assistant research professor in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
“The article made me want to raise awareness about the profound effects of this war, particularly its lasting impact on forests and land,” Norman said. “Once forests are lost, their restoration becomes very challenging, yet there are avenues for assistance, such as through education and providing firefighting equipment and materials to Ukraine.”
Norman emphasized that the damage inflicted on forests will have far-reaching consequences, including soil erosion, water pollution and the depletion of protective shelter belts that safeguard farmsteads and provide wildlife habitats. Of equal concern is the threat posed to forests near the Chornobyl accident site; these trees harbor radioactive material, and their combustion could pollute the air in eastern Europe, endangering human and animal health.
“The consequences of forest loss will be long-lasting and catastrophic for the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine and agriculture,” Bilous said. “If the war ends tomorrow and Ukraine can make maximum efforts to demine territory and restore the forests lost during the war, it might be possible to reforest the areas of the lost forests within 20 to 30 years. The complexity of reforestation will also be caused by climate changes, which have significantly increased the extreme conditions of tree growth in the east and south of Ukraine. A long-term forecast of 50 to 80 years seems more realistic.”
Iavorivska, a Ukrainian native, reiterated these concerns, highlighting Ukraine’s historical significance as Europe's breadbasket thanks to its rich soil and capacity to grow food that could feed more than half a billion people.
“The integrity of this capacity is under threat, with repercussions reaching beyond Ukraine,” she said. “Future generations will inherit the enduring effects of war, grappling with the aftermath of mine clearance, environmental restoration, and the return of farmlands, fields and forests to safe and sustainable conditions.”
Norman said attendees will learn more about these issues, gain insights into steps individuals can take to make a difference, and may ask questions of the speakers, most of whom are Ukrainian foresters, researchers and other experts close to the conflict.
Additionally, organizations represented will include the HALO Trust, a humanitarian nongovernmental organization that works to clear landmines and other explosive devices left behind by conflicts, and the Swiss Mine Action Foundation.
The series kicks off March 1 with an introduction to the ecosystems of Ukraine and the war and concludes May 1 with a discussion on the future of forests in Ukraine. There is no cost to attend the series, which will be recorded and available for later viewing.
The webinar series has been approved for continuing education credits by the International Society of Arboriculture and the Society of American Foresters, which has a fee of $10 per one-hour credit.
To register or for more information, including the complete list of speakers and topics, visit the Penn State Extension website.
Penn State Extension, Ag Sciences Global in the College of Agricultural Sciences, the Woskob New Century Fund, Forest Release, the Ukrainian Forest Safety Center, and Forest Initiatives and Communities have provided support for the webinars.
“We are grateful to Penn State Extension for this initiative to foster awareness and understanding of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine,” said Deanna Behring, assistant dean for international programs and director of Ag Sciences Global. “Lessons learned from this series will feed into a workshop by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine later this year, ‘Assessing and Addressing Environmental Impacts of War in Ukraine.’”