FIRE AND FOREST DEFENSE INITIATIVE UKRAINE
FOUNDATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FFDI FRAMEWORK
The Fire and Forest Defense Initiative – Ukraine (FFDI Ukraine) is the first country implementation of the Fire and Forest Defense Initiative (FFDI) Framework. It serves as a foundation for developing, testing, and validating approaches to wildfire resilience that are intended to function in complex, high-risk settings.
FFDI Ukraine is implemented in close collaboration with locally led Ukrainian partners.
Wildfire risk in Ukraine is shaped by a combination of environmental conditions and operational constraints. Large areas of forest and wildland are affected by unexploded ordnance, land contamination, access limitations, and infrastructure impacts.
These conditions influence how wildfire prevention, mitigation, response, training, and prescribed fire activities can be planned and carried out. In many cases, methods and tools must be adapted, validated, or carefully introduced to ensure safety and operational effectiveness.
FFDI Ukraine supports wildfire resilience efforts that are grounded in this operational reality.
FFDI Ukraine is designed to inform the continued development and application of the Fire and Forest Defense Initiative Framework.
The initiative is structured to:
Support locally identified wildfire resilience priorities
Enable the development and validation of methods and tools appropriate for constrained or contaminated environments
Generate practical lessons that can inform future FFDI efforts in other regions
Through this approach, FFDI Ukraine contributes to scaleable, transferable models for wildfire resilience that are shaped by field experience.
FireFront Foundation serves as a supporting and enabling organization for FFDI Ukraine.
Support provided by FireFront Foundation
Funding stewardship and financial coordination
Governance and oversight structures appropriate to scope and risk
Program coordination and continuity support
Alignment among public, nonprofit, academic, and technical partners
Support for monitoring, evaluation, documentation, and shared learning