22 • 04 • 2016
For a clean Forest!
Getting ready for the Big Clean-up Day, which will take place tomorrow, on 23 April, there are already some forest clean-up works and tending of recreation facilities taking place in the state forests. Helpers, who will head to Balvi forest district, will have an opportunity to work side by side with Cūkmens (Pigman) - the patron of clean forests, while in Salacgrīva municipality helpers will be kindly invited to take part in Liepupe mound improvement works. JSC "Latvia's State Forests" (LVM) is one of the initiators and an annual partner of the Big Clean-up Day.
In the forests managed by the company active clean-up works, as well as improvement and tending of recreational facilities take place all year round. More than 200 different forest clean-up works, improvement works of recreational and memorial sites, as well as educational events will take place in the forest areas managed by LVM, bringing together nearly 6 000 children and young people.
"Latvia is the fourth country in Europe with the largest proportion of land area covered by forests, and anyone is free to go to the woods to pick berries, mushrooms and other forest bounty. The forest is a popular hiking and leisure place for a great share of the population. It is so unpleasant to see the waste piles when going for a walk in the forest. Therefore we should not only devote one day of a year to collect the waste left by others; it is just as important to talk to and educate both - adults and children on how to behave in the forest. LVM employees take care of the forests on a daily basis; however, unfortunately littering in the forests is still a very serious problem," says Tomass Kotovičs, Head of LVM Communications Department, pointing out that more than 2 000 tons of waste are collected in the forests every year.
For a greener school
The students of Mother Nature (Mammadaba) Embassy (school year 2010/2011) - Ziepniekkalns Primary School - this week took part in different activities in the school yard clean-up and landscaping, planting 30 forest seedlings which had been grown in the LVM Kalsnava nursery. Part of the classes are organised outside the traditional classrooms - in the school yard. With the forest seedlings provided by LVM, from now on the school students will have an opportunity to learn about the forest and trees simply by going out into the school yard and exploring the newly planted birch, spruce, pine and rowan trees. Let's hope they will grow well and produce more oxygen!
Amount of litter is not decreasing
Also in Latgale, people are busy removing waste to make a walk in the Ančupāni forest park pleasant and enjoyable for residents and guests of Rēzekne city and municipality. Year by year, the infrastructure of the park is gradually improved, offering the opportunity to enjoy the quiet of the forest, relax on the wooden benches, as well as climb up the 28.5 metre high wooden tower. Right next to the viewing tower there is a resting place, perfectly suitable to enjoy a picnic in fresh air. Unfortunately there are people who leave their garbage behind them, and as the interest in growing, so is the amount of waste. Therefore Rēzekne City school children who worked hard together Cūkmens to clean up after others, remind people to be attentive and polite, and not to litter in the forest.
LVM campaign "Do Not Litter in Forests!" is organised all over Latvia already since 2005, and Cūkmens is its ultimate fighter.
