On September 28, 2023, an international cluster conference of the forestry sector on the topic "The wood market and the impact on the woodworking industry in today's realities" was held as part of the specialized international exhibition of the forestry, woodworking, and furniture industry, LISDEREVMASH (Kyiv).

This year's conference was opened with a welcoming speech by the Rector of the Ukrainian National Forestry University, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Professor Volodymyr Zahorskyi, who emphasized that productive interaction between the state, industry, education, and business is necessary for the development of the woodworking industry, and such an event can be a bridge to discuss and make constructive decisions that will contribute to solving the current problems of the forestry, woodworking, and furniture industries.

The staff of the Ukrainian National Forestry University received touching words of support during a charity concert held on September 28, 2023, in Cologne.

In the spring of this year, the UNFU was visited by a well-known German politician, a referent on issues of integration of the CDU political party, and a candidate for the European Parliament, Mustafa Al-Ammar. The purpose of the visit is to establish mutual relations to overcome today's challenges, provide support, and provide assistance. Mustafa Al-Ammar, as a peace ambassador, visited Ukraine back in 2013, and since then he has been studying problems in various spheres of life, and he is especially interested in the sphere of education. During the meeting, the Rector of the University, Volodymyr Zahorskyi, Professor of the Department of Environmental Economics and Business, Ihor Solovyi, and Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Educational Work and International Relations, Mykola Borys, had the opportunity to discuss with the guest the peculiarities of the educational process during martial law, talk about the university's material and technical needs, and raise the issue of energy supply.

Mustafa Al-Ammar said that the European Parliament has long been working on various programs to minimize dependence on the Russian Federation, introducing the use of alternative energy sources. This meeting was successful, and as a result, a concert of the Cologne Symphony Orchestra was held in support of UNFU, in particular for the repair of the heating and energy supply system of one of the educational buildings. The project is ongoing. After the concert in Cologne, which was designed to draw the attention of German society to our problems, the organization Humanitarian without Borders, headed by Mustafa Al-Ammar, is working to raise funds to implement the idea. We hope for the full implementation of this project!

On October 11, the initiator of Greening the Planet and the president of the Business Woman Club, Hanna Krysyuk, visited the Ukrainian National Forestry University at the invitation of the head of the primary trade union organization of students and postgraduates, Bohdan Kysil.

The Rector of the University and Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Professor Volodymyr Zahorskyi, held a working meeting with an extraordinary guest to discuss possible ways of cooperation and initiatives regarding the preservation and restoration of the Earth's ecosystem. Since the main focus of UNFU is fundamental and applied scientific research on topical sectoral and complex cross-sectoral problems of the socio-ecological and economic development of Ukraine, consolidation with such organizations as BO "Greening of Ukraine" is expedient.

For the implementation of joint projects, the leaders signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ukrainian National Forestry University and the "Greening of Ukraine" NGO, according to the provisions of which the parties will exercise their powers within the scope of the Greening of the Planet environmental project.

As the head of the International Staff of Aid to Ukrainians, Hanna Krysyuk presented Nadiya Klym, associate professor of the Department of Accounting and Auditing at UNFU, with a certificate of gratitude for patriotism, volunteering, and active support of charity projects.

Hanna Krysyuk's meeting with the students of the UNFU turned out to be no less interesting. They talked about important things: how to build a business from scratch, what business development strategies are most effective in times of challenge, how women's entrepreneurship develops, why businesses should pay attention to social responsibility, as well as how to plant 1 million trees by uniting 1 million people in 100 countries of the world per day.

At the end, the president of the Business Woman Club and the initiator of Greening the Planet, Hanna Krysyuk, invited the employees and students of the university to join the action "1 million trees of memory and life", which will take place on October 28.

Stanford University has announced another "2023 List of the World's Best 2% Scientists" in two categories. For another year in a row, the head of the Department of Technologies of Wood Composite Materials, Pulp, and Paper of the Ukrainian National Forestry University, Professor Pavlo BEKHTA, entered the list of the best scientists in the world in terms of citations to his publications. In addition, Professor Pavlo Bekhta ranks 8th on the list of the best scientists in the world in his scientific specialty, forestry and materials, and 29th on the list of the 98 best Ukrainian scientists. This year, only 5 scientists from Lviv were included in the ranking of the most influential scientists by citations in 2022: Sibyrnyi A. (14), Institute of Cell Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Bekhta P. (29), NLTU of Ukraine; and three representatives of Lviv Polytechnic University: R. Tkachenko (32), I. Izonin (46), and V. Vysotska (58).

The ranking list contains the names of the top 2% of scientists whose publications are most often cited by other authors. The entire scientific output of individual scientists is evaluated according to a complex bibliometric index (the so-called C-score), which takes into account such criteria as the Hirsch index, the number of citations, the impact factor, and the place in the list of authors. The rating is divided into two lists: the first covers scientific achievements for the entire period of the scientist's professional activity (Table 1-Authors_caree), and the second covers only the achievements of 2022 (Table 1-Authors_singleyr).

The full list of outstanding scientists can be found at the following link:
https://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/6

We sincerely congratulate Professor Pavlo Bekhta on his high achievements!

Recently, the adaptation course "Live Communication" was held at the Ukrainian National Forestry University, which was attended by the chaplain of the university, Fr. Bohdan Kulyk, and the deputy head of the Western Regional Administration, Colonel Dmytro Lishchynskyi. They talked about various things, but mostly about the war and its influence on people, in particular on the youth. The issues of families who lost relatives in the war were touched upon, and not without reason: by the Decree of the President of Ukraine, for personal courage and selfless actions shown in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and loyalty to the military oath, border hero Yuriy Zilinskyi (the father of a student of the NLTU of Ukraine) was awarded the Order "For Courage" III degree (posthumously).

The deputy chief of the Western Regional Administration, Colonel Dmytro Lishchynsky, presented the award to the daughter of the fallen defender. "Our hero fulfilled his duty with honor. He courageously accepted the battle, and his fame will be engraved in our memory and the history of our country. We will not forget the feat of our brother and do everything possible to bring victory closer. Glory to our warrior!" Dmytro Lishchynsky noted.

Border guard Yuriy Zilinsky gave his life to defending his native land from the enemy. Senior soldier (posthumously) Yuriy Zilinsky, as a member of the rapid response border commandant of the Donetsk border detachment, took part in repelling the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in the Donetsk region in December 2022. Yuriy bravely performed all firing tasks, always volunteered to be the first to advance to the position, and repeatedly came under artillery fire. On the night of January 9, 2023, the enemy went on the offensive with the support of artillery and mortar fire, attacking the positions of the defenders near Soledar. Despite the massive shelling and overwhelming enemy forces, Yuriy, as part of the border unit, courageously held the defense of the designated borders. In the end, after fierce battles, the unit was forced to retreat to other positions, but the enemy did not stop shelling. During the maneuver, Yuriy received shrapnel wounds that were not compatible with life. The Border Guard Hero is buried in the city of Radekhiv, Lviv region. Olena's wife became a widow. Two daughters were left without a father.

On October 18, the Rector of the Ukrainian National Forestry University and Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Professor Volodymyr Zahorskyi, held a working meeting with representatives of the Western Interregional Department for the Execution of Criminal Punishments of the Ministry of Justice (hereinafter referred to as the Criminal Justice Department of the Ministry of Justice). In particular, the chief of the Department of Criminal Justice of the Ministry of Justice, Ihor Tymochko, and the head of the department, Mykhailo Gordynskyi, were invited to social and educational work.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possibilities of cooperation in terms of professional development, providing methodical and informational support to civil servants, as well as organizing and conducting joint scientific, communicative, and educational events. According to the heads of both institutions, the holding of various seminars, round tables, scientific and practical conferences, forums, and other informational and explanatory open meetings will contribute both to the improvement of the professional competences of the employees and will ensure the development of the professional training system at UNFU.

The formation of the personality as a bearer of intellectual, innovative, professional, and cultural potential is one of the priorities of the Ukrainian National Forestry University. That is why the university management strives to develop cooperation in solving the topical issues of revealing the creative abilities of student youth, involving them in scientific research work and professional orientation, and targeting preparation for studying at the UNFU. In order to consolidate efforts, the Rector UNFU, Professor Volodymyr Zahorskyi, the First Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work, Professor Oleksandr Sushinskyi, and the Director of the Lviv Regional Council Communal Institution, "Lviv Regional Small Academy of Student Youth Sciences," Ivanna Borodchuk, met on October 18 to discuss resource opportunities for cooperation. During the meeting, the goal and main directions for consolidation were agreed upon. The leaders agreed that joint activities would contribute to the formation of innovative human capital.

Taking into account all the advantages of consolidation, the rector, Volodymyr Zahorskyi, and the director of the Lviv Regional Small Academy of Sciences of Pupil Youth, Ivanna Borodchuk, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, according to the provisions of which:

Cooperation between UNFU and the University of Sustainable Development of Eberswalde (Germany) under the Erasmus+ program has been going on for more than 8 years. During this period, it was possible to jointly implement more than 100 student and teacher mobilities for the purpose of study and internship, including the admission of German students for internship at the Ukrainian National Forestry University. Increasing the number of students and scientific and pedagogical workers participating in academic mobility programs is a key priority of the "Strategy of Internationalization of the Ukrainian National Forestry University for the period until 2026".

Two students, Sofia Bublei, a student of LG-31, and Sofia Skrypets, a student of MO-61m, are currently studying at the University of Sustainable Development in Eberswalde under the Erasmus+ program. Feedback from Sofia Bublei regarding the peculiarities of studying in Germany is in this material.

Sofia, tell us about your studies at UNFU. What are your impressions of studying forestry?

Sofia: "Now I am studying in the 3rd year of my bachelor's degree, majoring in "forestry" at UNFU. In 2019, she graduated from the Zaporizhia Lyceum EIT; after that, she entered the Zaporizhia College EIT, majoring in "Tourism," and graduated with honors in 2022. In 2021, she entered the Zaporizhia National University majoring in forestry, but in 2022, she transferred to the Ukrainian National Forestry University for the same major in connection with military operations in my city. At the same time, I always had a desire to study at a highly specialized university. The impressions of studying at UNFU during this period are only good. This university is inspiring! A very professional teaching staff that is always ready to support the student and continues to work during such a difficult time in the country. I have never once regretted that I studied at UNFU."

How did you get the Erasmus+ scholarship? What is the size of the scholarship, and where do you live?

Sofia: "I learned about this project from the official Instagram page of the Department of International Relations at UNFU. On the same day, my academic supervisor (I.I. Delegan) informed me about the possibility of studying abroad. Together with him, we decided to submit documents for participation in the competition. The first stage of the selection was an interview with the Selection Commission. A week later, the results were announced, and I was nominated to study at the University of Sustainable Development in Eberswalde. Later, a study agreement was reached, and now I am studying for a semester on exchange, majoring in International Forest Ecosystem Management. The amount of the scholarship per month is 1,050 euros (including the cost of accommodation and travel, student insurance, and student tickets). I live in a student dormitory."

What are your impressions of the host university?

Sofia: "Eberswalde University has a very family atmosphere. For help and easy adaptation by international students, there are buddy friends. International students were provided with all the necessary documents regarding the organization of their studies, and meetings were held with representatives of the international department, faculty, and specialty. Many measures are being taken to integrate new students into the university environment."

What subjects are you studying in the current semester?

Sofia: "I have the following disciplines this semester: Environmental Policy and Economics, Adaptive Ecosystem Management, Forest Ecology and Mensuration, Academic Writing and Presenting, German, Applied Silviculture, Ecosystem Development and Restoration."

What are the main differences between studying in Germany and Ukraine?

Sofia: "There are many differences. These are two different education systems. The main feature of studying in Germany is that the student is as independent as possible in choosing to attend classes; most of the study is devoted to independent work. There is a maximum focus on the student."

Did you manage to make friends? Do you have time for rest and travel?

Sofia: "It's quite easy to make friends in Germany by attending events for students. I have time to rest on weekends, but I'm not traveling yet."

On October 25, at the initiative of Ulyana Novak, assistant professor of the Department of Accounting and Audit of the Ukrainian National Forestry University, and with the support of the staff of this department, an exclusive meeting of students with Igor Dulyny, a successful businessman, co-organizer of charity projects, youth entrepreneurship coach, and eco-ambassador, was held at the National Forestry University of Ukraine. The event was opened by the director of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Environmental Economics and Management, associate professor Mykola Matveev.

Ihor Dulyn is a graduate of the National Technical University of Ukraine and in particular the Department of Accounting and Auditing, a candidate of economic sciences, an associate professor, the head of the public organization "Dobro.Diy" the co-founder of the West Ukrainian Business School, and the chain of bakeries "Vash Lavash" the co-organizer of currently known projects "1000 cars" and "Birds of Victory", and the ecoambassador of "Greening of the Planet".

On October 17, 2023, students of specialty 187 "Woodworking and Furniture Technologies" at the Ukrainian National Forestry University had a unique opportunity to visit the "Blum" enterprise.

The company "Blum" is a real leader in the world of furniture accessory production. The "Blum Inspirations" brand is, first of all, innovations in products, constant development, and the creation of innovative ideas for solving various tasks posed by society.
The excursion was organized by the academic staff of the Department of Furniture and Wood Products Technology at UNFU, resembled the educational process in form, and consisted of several parts.