Diagnostic Assessment of Forest Management Accounting

The article deals with the analysis of accounting practice in forest management and the detection of problems in accounting-related registration of timber & lumber harvesting and forest reproduction. Current conditions of accounting as practiced by eight enterprises of the Kirovohrad Regional Directorate of Forestry and Hunting Sector have been assessed and shortcomings in the accounting registration of timber & lumber harvesting and forest reproduction have been defined. The advantages and faults in introducing electronic management of timber & lumber at the enterprises of the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine have been proved. The methods of expenditure accounting in forest management, particularly, pooling of expenses according to the calculation items, procedure for accounting of timber & lumber harvesting expenses, identification of expenses that generate the cost price of timber & lumber harvesting are detailed. It is suggested that all general expenses of production should be allocated for harvesting timber & lumber and forest reproduction according to the area of a forest plot. In view of the fact that the production cycle in forest industry lasts at least 40 years the expenses for forest reproduction should be shown as a part of the disbursements for generating long-lasting biological assets.