2019

JSC “Latvia's State Forests” will Grow more Productive Birch Seedlings

JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM) Kalsnava Seed Production Unit has reached a historic moment in birch seed growing - for the very first time in Latvia, 300 litres of birch carkins of the “superior” category have been harvested in a plastic film cover greenhouse, which will ensure seed reserve for more than two years.  They will be sown in greenhouses next year and will be suitable for reforestation in the autumn of 2021 or spring of 2022. Forest seedlings of the “superior” category offer an opportunity to increase the yield of managed forest stands by up to 25% as compared to conventional stands.

First studies in birch breeding

In Latvia, the breeding of the native species - the warty birch - has been given serious attention already since the 1990s, when new opportunities for birch wood processing emerged. Consequently, many forest managers were interested in making high-yield birch plantations, as well as in reforestation with selective planting material.

In cooperation with the Latvian State Forestry Research Institute “Silava”, the State Forest Service and JSC “Latvijas Finieris”, Birch Programme was created to address the issues of good quality birch seedlings, establishment of forest plantations and selection of the best birch stands and clones for seed production.

As a result of this work, large-scale experimental plantations were established in three geographical regions. Meanwhile, in the autumn of 2000, a first grade seed plantation was created in LVM Kalsnava Seed Production Unit. For this purpose a plastic film cover greenhouse was used - for a longer period it offered selected birch seeds complying with the “improved” category.

“The “improved” category forest planting material gives the opportunity to grow a fast-growing, high-yielding forest plantation that gives up to 20% more productivity than those planted with conventional seeds. Such a plantation could be ready for felling at the age of 40-50 years instead of 60, as it is in the case of traditional forest stands,” says Guntis Grandāns, Director of “LVM Sēklas un stādi” (LVM Seeds and Plants).

Second-stage birch seed plantations

Birch selection research continued in the new century, when LVM focused on targeted financing of selection programmes. One of the most important tasks of the work was the evaluation of the plantations established in the 1990s, which required several years of careful field work, taking the necessary measurements, as well as the processing of the data obtained.

As a result of this extensive research work, in the spring of 2014, the Latvian State Forestry Research Institute “Silava” offered a list of outstanding birch clones for the establishment of a second-stage seed plantation. During this time, grafting was started at the LVM Kalsnava Seed Production Unit.

“It takes time between the grafting of a small twig and the seed harvest, which is why it has only been this year that the grafted trees have produced their first major yield. This is a historic moment in birch seed production. However, there is a long way to go to prepare the seeds: drying and crushing the carkins, separating the seeds from the carkins mass and granulating. The overall result will be seen later, but I am sure that the seed reserve will last for at least two years,” says Guntis Grandāns, Director of “LVM Sēklas un stādi”. 

Due to the high demand for selected birch seeds, the opportunity was taken to harvest an additional 300 litres of birch carkins also in the “old” LVM seed plantations, which fall within the “improved” category.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Latvia ranks 14th in the world in plywood production, but it ranks first in terms of average export price per m3, as it produces birch plywood, while in other countries it is made from a wide variety of tree species.