Sustainability of forest management was established in Ukrainian legislation in times of the Soviet Union in form of principles of rational and inexhaustible exploitation of nature.
It is proved by a constant extension of forest territories and growing stock in Ukraine after the Second World War. The Draft Forest Code provides for communal forests that will increase the role of territorial communities in the sustainable forest management. All governmental and branch-wise projects and programmes, developed in Ukraine are based on the principles of sustainable development and sustainable forest management. In forest areas of Ukraine, for example in Carpathians, forest sector plays an important role in the livelihood of the local people. In such regions there implemented a number of programmes aimed to improve the life standards. These programmes are closely connected to forest sector. The local population is involved into the sustainable forest management. They have part-time and full-time jobs, are provided with forest products (some forest products are provided free of charge, non-wood products such as mushrooms, berries, medicinal plants and etc. are also free), forest services for recreation, hunting (in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation).
Ukrainian forests are state owned, and state administrative institutions are responsible for the sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of forests among all society. An equable sharing of the benefits, first of all, depends upon the transparency of decision making in forest resources utilization. Currently it is not enough. The situation is gradually improving. The draft of the new Forest Code provides for the objective sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of forest resources.
The role of women is not declared in forest programmes and sustainable forest management of Ukraine as long as the equal rights of genders is stated in the Constitution of Ukraine. It has deep historical roots and is proved in practice. In particularly, women work in all spheres and divisions of forest management. In some forestry spheres, for example on forest research and education the share of working women runs up to 50%.