It is well known that forests are a source of a wide range of commercial products and ecosystem services, providing them in response to the growing and diverse demands of society. The concept of close-to-nature forestry involves integrating nature conservation goals by preserving biotic structures during timber harvesting, particularly trees that form specific microhabitats. However, the preservation of such trees, which may have high commercial value, is accompanied by economic losses, requiring compromises between production and environmental goals. Despite the existence of regulatory incentives for integrating these approaches, their practical implementation remains challenging. This problem is particularly relevant in the case of clear-cutting systems, where decisions on whether to leave or remove individual trees are made prior to felling. In general, the decision-making process in forestry is highly complex, influenced by numerous social and cultural factors. In order to integrate biodiversity conservation into forestry practices, scientific studies were launched in 2020 in Lviv region, Ukraine, under the international Marteloscope program of the European Forest Institute (EFI), which as of August 1, 2025, includes data on 272 sites in 27 European countries. Our studies have supplemented the database of the Marteloscope International Program and enable the implementation of the concept of close-to-nature forestry in Western Ukraine for the high-quality practical training of forestry professionals.
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