2017

LVM to Restore 15 Thousand Hectares of Forest and Tend Forest in an Area of 54 Thousand Hectares

As weather is getting warmer, the volume of forest tending and restoration works starts increasing. In 2017, JSC "Latvia's State Forests" (LVM) plans to restore forests in an area of 14 370 hectares, perform agro-technical tending in an area of 27 430 hectares and tending of 27 400 hectares of young stands. 21 600 000 high-quality young trees will be planted in an area of 8000 hectares, while 6370 hectares of forest will be naturally restored.

LVM plans to perform young stand tending in an area of 27 400 hectares. Tending of young stands is a measure that is taken to improve forest stand composition and growth conditions for the remaining trees. "Timely tending of young forest stands ensures the appropriate number and height of tree species suitable for the specific area. This way tree competition for nutrients and sunlight is reduced. Well-tended forests can be identified by their tree crowns and well-developed tree trunks," says Dace Ozola, LVM Head of Forest Regeneration and Tending.

The goal of young stand tending and agro-technical tending is to ensure favourable growth conditions for specific tree species.

This year, in artificially restored clearings, agro-technical maintenance works will be carried out in an area of 27 430 hectares, thus preventing competition of caulescent plant, undershrub and shrub shoots with the young trees. Often tending works must be performed twice during the growing season to provide more sunlight and feed reserves, which creates more favourable environment for the young trees.

In commercial forests during the bird breeding season (1 April - 30 June) tending of young stands is not carried out in up to 10-year-old pine and deciduous tree stands, and in up to 30-year-old spruce stands, except in areas where coniferous tree height does not exceed 0.7 metres, and the height of deciduous trees is less than 1 metre. In spring and summer, tending of young forest stands is not carried out in micro-reserves and their buffer zones intended for bird protection, in specially protected natural areas, water and marsh protection zones.

Last year, more than 23 million high-quality tree seedlings were planted in an area of 9000 hectares, and more than 31 300 hectares of young stands were tended.