2017

More than 3000 school children study in LVM Forest Expeditions

Most frequently, school children learn about forest from books but not from the nature – the experts of JSC “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) are determined to change this practice, they, in this spring in the Forest Expeditions, have met more than 3000 school children from all over Latvia. In the three hour hike children learn what forest is, how it is grown and what has to be done to save its goods for future generations.

Inga Bērziņa, teacher of Valmiera Pārgauja Primary School, admits that such expeditions should be experienced by all school children of Latvia and also their parents. “It is a wonderful opportunity to see and confirm in nature everything that we teach our students – how forest is planted, tended and managed. This day in forest is more valuable than a whole month in a classroom,” says Inga Bērziņa.

The route of Forest Expedition is approximately two to three kilometres long, and it contains several nature exploration stops. Children, when going from one stop to another, are doing practical tasks in forest, thus, increasing their level of knowledge and trying out something that has been read in books or heard from teachers. Expeditions are lead by employees of LVM, whose everyday, in various ways, is connected with forest – planners, foresters, forest infrastructure experts, lawyers, managers of regions and other experts. As employees of LVM say then it is a wonderful opportunity to explain the complex processes happening in forest in a simple way.

In the LVM Forest Expeditions children are looking for answers to such questions:

• Is wood found only in trees?
• Do forests need regeneration? How it is done?
• Why is a clearing needed?
• What is the beginning of a large tree?
• Which tree can be felled, which – still needs to grow?
• What is common between forest and Formula 1?

“For more and more of people, when moving away from natural environment, the understanding about forest and processes in it is being made from populistic slogans and opinions in the virtual world. In the Forest Expeditions we allow children to shape their understanding about forest themselves. We hope that this will help to raise a generation that understands that in forest everything needs to be in balance – humans, economics and environment. People need to listen about forest in forest,” Vilmārs Katkovskis, Manager of Forest Planning of Rietumvidzeme Region of LVM, shares his thoughts. This spring in Rietumvidzeme, several hundred children from Limbaži, Valmiera, Sigulda, Rīga and other places went to learn about forest in forest.

“For more and more of people, when moving away from natural environment, the understanding about forest and processes in it is being made from populistic slogans and opinions in the virtual world. In the Forest Expeditions we allow children to shape their understanding about forest themselves. We hope that this will help to raise a generation that understands that in forest everything needs to be in balance – humans, economics and environment. People need to listen about forest in forest,” Vilmārs Katkovskis, Manager of Forest Planning of Rietumvidzeme Region of LVM, shares his thoughts. This spring in Rietumvidzeme, several hundred children from Limbaži, Valmiera, Sigulda, Rīga and other places went to learn about forest in forest.