2007

INFORMATION REGARDING DAMAGE IN LATVIAN WOODS CAUSED BY THE STORM ON JANUARY 14th – 15th

The Latvijas Valsts Meži joint-stock company has summarised the provisional information on the damage caused by the last storm. According to current data about 200 000 m3 of wood might have been damaged and felled. Woods in Southern Kurzeme and Zemgale suffered the most; however the forestry in Southern Latgale and Northen Kurzeme experienced damage too. In contrast to the storm in 2005 this time the trees have mostly been damaged but not felled. For the time being it has been established that the trees were felled generally in Zamgale (Garoza District, Mise, by Īle) and around Daugavpils on the Dviete side.

“Though the damage caused by this storm cannot be compared to the disaster in 2005 when about 3 million m3 of growing trees were felled, but overall the damage is great and estimated losses are several million lats”, says Latvijas Valsts Meži joint-stock company chairman of the board Roberts Strīpnieks. An especially dangerous fact is that this year the trees were damaged at a time when the forest pest breeding   season is rather high. The company is planning to eliminate the damage before spring comes in order to avoid the bark beetle population increase in woods.