On the way Towards a Balanced Forestry Land Use: The Economy of State Forestry Enterprises in Small Polissia of Ukraine in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, creating massive social and economic challenges, has started additional risks in ensuring balanced forest land use at the national, regional, and global levels. In this regard, the issues of preserving ecosystems and improving the well-being of citizens, avoiding the risk of deforestation and degradation of forests due to the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy of the forestry sector have become relevant. The article's purpose is a theoretical and methodological substantiation of ensuring a balanced use of forestry lands in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is associated with economic regulation, investments, and the level of financial support. The object of this study is five state forestry enterprises of the Small Polissia region of Ukraine, referred to the jurisdiction of the State Forestry Agency. The main economic problems and financial needs of the studied state forestry enterprises were identified by analyzing the dynamics of their income, the level of depreciation of fixed assets, the volume of capital investments, labor productivity, and workers' wages. Based on the analysis of reporting indicators of state forestry enterprises in the Small Polissia region of Ukraine, conceptual frameworks for coordinating efforts to ensure the balanced use of forestry lands in Ukraine have been prepared. Measures were proposed to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social and economic dimensions of forestry land use. Recommendations for financing forestry activities, accelerating transformational changes in investment support of the forestry industry, revising the tax burden on state forestry enterprises have been substantiated. Balanced forest land use can reduce the risk of future pandemics. Therefore, its financing and incentives based on economic preferences should be a public policy priority on sustainable development.