2020

LVM Employees Prevent Arbitrary Logging and Wood Theft in the Western Part of Vidzeme

Last weekend, employees of JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” (LVM), in cooperation with the State Police, managed to prevent unauthorized logging in a forest in Jaunpiebalga Municipality Jaunpiebalga Rural Territory and illegal removal of timber, detaining the perpetrators at the scene.

During the planned forest management works, LVM employees found an uncoordinated logging operation – longitudinal cutting of wind-cut and broken trees, which was reported to the colleagues of LVM Safety and Control Unit. On Saturday morning, the area was surveyed and an MTZ tractor with a trailer loaded with LVM-owned timber was found. Some timber had already been removed from the forest.

The State Police was called to the scene, and criminal proceedings have been initiated to clarify the circumstances of the case and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“I would like to thank my colleagues for their vigilance and sense of responsibility; it is wonderful that we care for our forests regardless of the time of day. It is important to bear in mind that the removal of dead and dry trees from forests is illegal and each case is reported to the police. We urge everyone to stay abreast of the fight against forest thieves and report any suspicious tree felling to law enforcement agencies, whether state, private or municipal. Only this way will we be able to eliminate illegal logging,” says Vilmārs Katkovskis, LVM Rietumvidzeme Regional Forest Management Planning Manager.