Fines for firewood: the NPDEP clarifies under what conditions there will be no liability for storage

The draft law No. 9665 on improving liability for offenses in the field of forestry and combating illegal wood trafficking, voted by the Verkhovna Rada, is not aimed at people who use firewood to heat their homes, but at "black loggers", illegal sawmills that profit from stolen wood. This was stated by MP, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement and one of the authors of the bill Maksym Pavliuk, UNN reports.

The MP's statement was posted on Telegram by Yulia Paliychuk, a spokeswoman for the Servant of the People party.

"Some media outlets have reported that the provisions of the voted draft law allegedly prohibit people from storing firewood at home for their own use without supporting documents. Such reports are completely untrue and are not just an arbitrary interpretation of the voted provisions, but an outright lie," the MP said.

According to him, the voted draft law concerns "black loggers" and illegal sawmills, but not the population that heats with firewood. It is designed to stop illegal logging and has nothing to do with household wood. Namely, 30 cubic meters of pine or 15 cubic meters of oak.

"In other words, a person is not responsible for storing 30 cubic meters of pine firewood or 15 cubic meters of oak firewood. This is the amount of wood a household needs for the heating season, and even a little bit more," Pavliuk said.

He added that for criminal liability to be imposed, storage in excess of UAH 30 thousand is required, which, according to DrovaE, is 30 cubic meters of pine or 15 cubic meters of oak.  

"Therefore, for ordinary households that do not process or sell wood on an industrial scale, this draft law will not matter," the MP said. - "But even if someone, realizing the complexity of the situation and the uncertainty in the energy sector, has prepared more than 15 cubic meters of oak firewood or 30 cubic meters of pine firewood for this winter, they have no reason to worry. The law does not have retroactive effect, so government agencies, including the police, have no right to demand documents for existing wood that was purchased before the law came into force," Pavliuk said.

He noted that the heating season has already begun, so even technically, the law's provisions in this part will not come into effect until the start of preparations for the next heating season.

"This draft law is intended not to look for firewood in people's yards, but to prevent the trafficking of illegal wood and preserve nature, to bring the norms of Ukrainian legislation in line with European requirements," Pavliuk concluded.

In addition, the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" denied the statement of the notorious MP Yuriy Kamelchuk, who said that "corrupt officials from the State Enterprise ‘Forests of Ukraine’ are allegedly inciting Ukrainians to criticize his draft law No. 9665, which introduces criminal liability for the storage of wood whose legitimacy is not confirmed.

"We consider the mention of the company's name to be a provocation aimed at discrediting the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", the statement said.

The State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" notes that over the past two years, the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" has made significant progress in unshadowing the timber market: a transparent sales system and modern control and monitoring tools have been introduced.

"The majority of criminal proceedings on the facts of abuse in the forestry sector are opened on the basis of security checks of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine". However, the Forests of Ukraine covers only two-thirds of the market. Another third is a gray area. Many other forest users do not even use the EOD (electronic timber accounting system). It is this gray zone, not the Forests of Ukraine, that is the main supplier of illegal timber sold to the public," the report says.

Also, the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" was not involved in the development and discussion of draft law No. 9665, but they have consistently advocated for increased liability for shadow businesses involved in illegal logging and trafficking.

"It is worth noting that the key problem now is not the lack of rigidity of the legislation, but the effectiveness of its application: it is enough to analyze how many cases go to court and how many criminals are actually brought to justice," the statement said.

"The Forests of Ukraine emphasizes that draconian fines and long prison sentences are not a solution to the problem if there are no effective control tools.

"These are the tools introduced by the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine". For example, the sale of firewood to the population in our farms is almost completely transferred to non-cash form," the statement said.

Addendum

The Verkhovna Rada has passed a draft lawthat would increase liability for the destruction or damage of forests, illegal felling of trees, and illegal sale of timber.

Earlier, the media disseminated information that the draft law allegedly provides for imprisonment for people for storing firewood without documents.