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The Latvian Forest Days This Year Saw a Record Number of Visitors

On 24 and 25 May, the largest forest awareness event in the Baltics – the Latvian Forest Days – took place in Latvia’s State forest nature park in Tērvete in the Kurbads’ Land, giving school students, young people, and families from all over Latvia the opportunity to learn about the role of forests in mitigating climate change. The two-day celebration was attended by a record number of visitors – more than 15 thousand.

Interest in the Latvian Forest Days is growing every year – both the number of participants and visitors to the event is expanding. It is a pleasure to see how every year the activities offered at the forest information stations become more and more engaging, while the visitors' curiosity and understanding of the forest, its management, and importance increase. Although the event was attended in large numbers by families from the immediate surroundings – Dobele, Bauska and Jelgava – there was no shortage of those interested coming from Riga and further cities as well. “The interest of visitors and participants is increasing every year, so we will continue the tradition of the Latvian Forest Days next year as well. Let's meet again,” invites Normunds Namnieks, Event Coordinator and Project Manager at LVM Recreation and Hunting.

More than 100 different organizations related to forestry, woodworking, and the environment invited visitors to discover the role of the forest in the fight against climate change, to understand the impact of each forestry process on it, find an answer to the question as to whether the future lies in the trees. Those interested had the opportunity to get to know the forest equipment and participate in various activities. At one of the stops, you could “sink” in a quartz sand bath, at another – dig in a deep pile of sand, and at yet another – make your own “windmill”. Many participants took the opportunity to get into different types of forest machines and ride a quad bike. At one of the forest stations, you could put up a big puzzle, at another you could test your archery skills, and at another one – take the opportunity to play the role of a driver of a mini-wood hauler and load the allowed amount of timber.

“The event is a great place to introduce the public to the various nuances of forest management planning. When planning any activity in the forest, the impact on natural values ​​is evaluated by competent, certified environmental experts. It is important to show and explain to the public the role and competence of LVM in the preservation of natural values because our experts and colleagues observe this in various ways and levels every day when planning and carrying out any economic activity. We offered the visitors the opportunity to work practically with the tools of environmental experts, such as observing various mosses, lichens, and plants with magnifying glasses and a microscope, to see things that can sometimes be accurately determined only in high magnification. This activity attracted a lot of interest among the visitors; moreover, many came purposefully to our station because they remembered it from previous years and wanted to return.

This year, we also invited visitors to take a look at an osprey's nest platform built on top of a tree, which LVM bird experts build for various specially protected bird species to make it easier for them to create their nests. In turn, in the forest model, it was possible to see the forest from a bird's eye view: different tree species and age stands, forest roads, drainage systems, and other elements. There was an opportunity to find the most suitable place in the forest stands created in the model for various non-timber values, such as berries, this way promoting the understanding of where to look for raspberries, wild strawberries or blueberries when in the forest,” says Jānis Zitāns, Head of Forest Management Planning of LVM Zemgale Region.

“We introduced the LVM GEO solutions to the visitors at the LVM Business System Solutions stand “Forest on Screen”. We allowed those interested to get to know different types of maps and talked about the diversity of their use. At our stand, we also gathered visitor geography statistics – everyone was invited to mark on a digital map the place from which they came. This activity received a great response. The youngest visitors to the event were happy to play memory games, while the older ones were excited to compete in solving the Latvian puzzle,” Dana Spule, LVM Geospatial Solution Project Manager, talks about the activities at one of the stands.

“We invited visitors to the LVM Zemes dzīles stand to familiarize themselves with the process of managing the depths of the earth using all their senses. Our goal was to tell and show the public that the extraction of minerals in the territories managed by LVM takes place responsibly and sustainably, also drawing attention to how each of us uses minerals on a daily basis. They are needed for roads and constructions, for vegetables and flowers growing in the garden. Sensory trails, which were made of mineral materials and peat, were especially popular among visitors. At these trails, the senses were supplemented by informative boards with key facts about both sand and gravel extraction, and peat and its substrates. Everyone could visually inspect a cubic metre of peat and the products that grow in peat substrates. The sandboxes were also so much fun – here, the youngest visitors to the event could look for “diamonds” and build sandcastles. The most curious gathered to hear the story of whether “peat deserts” remain after peat extraction and received the answer to their questions, gaining the confidence that the developed areas are afterwards used for planting forest or for restoring bog. Next year, too, we will build the LVM Zemes dzīles station in such a way that children can practically work in it and thus acquire additional knowledge,” Karīna Āboliņa-Zalpetere, Sales Executive Director at LVM Zemes dzīles, shares her experience.

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Latvian Forest Days 2024

The first day of the event, 24 May, was devoted to schoolchildren and young people: 9.1 thousand students from all regions of Latvia took the opportunity to acquire new knowledge. As many of the participants admitted, the Latvian Forest Days have become a long-awaited event for which schools prepare carefully. The winners of various competitions were honoured throughout the day: the winners of the LVM Forest Days sticker competition “With birds in the forest”, the teaching research competition “Mežotājs”, the special prizes of the LVM Bio-economy School were presented. The winners of the SIA “Zaļa josta” wastepaper and used battery collection competitions were awarded in a festive ceremony together with the band “Sudden Lights”.

Saturday, 25 May, was spent in the Kurbads’ Land in the spirit of families – from early in the morning, families visited the forest information stands, where both the youngest visitors to the event, as well as their parents and grandparents, could express themselves and engage in a number of different activities. The youngest visitors to the event enjoyed the “Ukulele” performance, meeting Pigman, and the opportunity to participate in various activities, such as taking a bath of cones and finding their treasure in a pile of sand.  In the second half of the day, the guests were entertained by the band “Labvēlīgais tips” with a special programme titled “For the Latvian Forest Days”.

This is the fifth year of the Latvian Forest Days. The event is organized by JSC “Latvia's State Forests” in cooperation with the municipality of Dobele region and different forest industry organizations.