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Soil is being Prepared for Reforestation in Latvia's State Forests

Since mid-July, soil preparation works have been taking place in the territories of JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM), where forest restoration is planned. In general, this year it is expected to prepare soil in an area of ​​13 798 hectares.

Soil preparation works are carried out in all LVM regions. This year, the largest area will be prepared in the Southern Kurzeme and Northern Kurzeme regions, 2 857 and 2 284 hectares, respectively.

The progress of soil preparation is directly affected by the weather conditions. Also, the storm and rain experienced at the end of July temporarily stopped the work that had started in Zemgale, which is expected to be completed there on an area of ​​1 322 hectares.

“Due to the strong storm and rain in July, soil in several forest districts of the LVM Zemgale Region was too wet for a long time and the equipment literally sank. In the third week of August, the situation had already improved. Even though the works will be delayed a little, it is expected that we will be able to prepare the necessary area on time unless frost sets in too early,” says Lauris Ropājs, Head of LVM Forestry Production.  

Depending on the type of forest and growing conditions, soil is prepared in different ways: using a disc plough, a rotary lifter, and creating an uplift with a bucket. Choosing the suitable soil preparation method is a prerequisite for successful forest restoration. By correctly choosing the type and preparing the soil, the young forest grows faster and better, without any additional investments in replenishment and maintenance of plantings.

The largest area of soil will as usually be prepared using disc ploughs – 9 186 hectares. This way soil is prepared in most forest areas, where it is possible to loosen the soil with disc ploughs for the preparation of planting sites.

In areas with high humidity and low soil bearing capacity, the most suitable method of soil preparation is the uplifting method using an excavator and a rotary lifter.  With the uplifting method, the tree planting site is raised higher and thus the humidity regime is regulated in overly moistened areas. This year, it is expected to prepare soil on 1 619 hectares with the rotary lifter, 2 941 hectares will be prepared using a bucket.

Soil preparation is one of the preliminary works that is carried out before the restoration of a young forest. High-quality soil preparation promotes the rooting of the planting material. Once the soil preparation and planting works are completed, distinct rows of trees are formed with similar distances between the seedlings, which in the future facilitates agrotechnical tending, protection of trees against animal damage, and tending of young stands.