13–19 June - Zeme un valsts
11th LMSP International Conference in 20 days, 29 October. Learn more ›

Weekly review

3-9 October
26 September – 2 October
19–25 September
12-18 September
5-11 September
29 August – 4 September
22-28 August
15–21 August
8–14 August
1–7 August
25–31 July
18–24 July
11-17 July
4–10 July
27 June – 3 July
20–26 June
13–19 June
6–12 June
30 May – 5 June
23-29 May

Poll

Concern about gaps in the skills and knowledge of our pupils is voiced quite widely from time to time. Unfortunately, only when someone from outside Latvia has concluded as much. Why is that?
There is a political tendency to be busy, to invest, to make promises, but not to think about the results
If you have little knowledge yourself, you do not even know how or what you do not know...
A smart society is not always desirable or welcome
Many interests swirl around education. A "good result" is rarely mentioned among them

A lighter note

“Why are the trees here so big?”

VIDEO

Collector coin “Chestnut”
Trees on agricultural land – perennial plantations, short-rotation coppice or agroforestry?!
The Baltics in the Kremlin's sights. How serious is the threat?

13–19 June

Zemeunvalsts.lv | 19.06.2026

Industry

(...) courage was needed to take up the challenge of studying and to find one's place in an academic environment. For many, it was also a bold step to start an independent life away from home and familiar surroundings. Energy was needed too. lbtu.lv

Thanks to favourable weather conditions, forest planting work went smoothly, and service providers completed the work on time and to a high standard.lvm.lv

Although the regulation's original aim is a noble one – to halt global deforestation – its current technical requirements threaten to create a heavy administrative burden and paralyse primary producers in Europe. Industry representatives stress that the regulation's requirements for detailed geolocation data and full product traceability down to a specific forest stand are technically flawed. lasi.lv

Kurzemnieks speaks. A conversation with lawyer and forester Valdis Kalnsyoutube.com

The Forest Advisory Council is an important platform for dialogue between state institutions, the forest sector and other stakeholders, fostering balanced, evidence-based decision-making for the development of the forest sector in Latvia.zm.gov.lv

(...) the Prosecutor's Office's assessment did not confirm that there had been a leak of information about the investigative actions in the case (...)tvnet.lv

Investment in birch breeding is investment in the forest of the future. Our goal is not only to grow more seedlings, but to grow better seedlings – ones that deliver higher yields and better-quality timber. The new seed greenhouse will make it possible to significantly improve the precision and efficiency of breeding work (...)finieris.com

For each felling site, so-called “difficulty points” are calculated, describing how complex it is to work the area in question. These are determined by several factors, including skidding distance, the volume of timber harvested, and skidding and harvesting conditions.lvm.lv

Worth knowing! Upcoming and ongoing events

27 June: Malnava College's 105th anniversarymalnavaskoledza.lv

1 August Hunters' festival “Minhauzens 2026”
latma.lv · minhauzens 2026 koknese mednieku festivals notiks augusta pi…
latma.lv · nebijis notikums minhauzens 2026 lidztekus festivalam notiks…

Until 26 July photo exhibition “My Bird 2026” at the Latvijas Nacionālais dabas muzejsvaram.gov.lv

Until 10 August public consultation on the “stress test” of the EU Birds and Habitats Directivesec.europa.eu

Baložu Peat Museum Railway excursions in 2026kudrasbanitis.lv

Garden Days and masterclasses at Dārzkopības institūts in 2026fruittechcentre.eu

All year Nacionālais botaniskais dārzs anniversary events series “Nature in the Garden”daba.gov.lv

Education and science

Results of research on the impact of forestry on nutrient cycling in coastal forests and on surface water quality were presented to an international audience (...)silava.lv

On 18 June, Ieva Kraukle defended her doctoral thesis – a thematically unified collection of scientific publications titled “Functionality of Urban Forest Landscapes and Management Approaches” – at the Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences of Latvijas Biozinātņu un tehnoloģiju universitāte (...)lbtu.lv

The students' research covered a wide range of topics – from the use of lignin and other biomass resources in developing high-value-added products, to biosorbents, sustainable food packaging, polyurethane foams, mycelium composites and bio-based coatings for packaging materials.kki.lv

During the project, modular filtration systems using natural mineral sorbents capable of efficiently capturing dissolved phosphorus in water will be developed and tested. lbtu.lv

Environment

Fire blight is a devastating plant disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, which infects a number of popular fruit trees and ornamental shrubs of the rose family – apple, pear, flowering quince, rowan, cotoneaster, hawthorn, quince and juneberry, as well as shrubs more exotic for Latvian conditions, such as loquat, medlar, firethorn and Photinia davidiana. vaad.gov.lv

(...) trouble is caused only by a handful of motorcyclists, while the vast majority of Latvia's motorcyclists follow the rules. But a spoonful of tar can still spoil the whole barrel of honey...jauns.lv

The municipality states that the felling of trees is planned in connection with improvement works at Sidrabe Park, as well as the age of the trees, which is said to have reached felling age. Complaints have also been received from residents about the rook population in the park.zz.lv

Bears

Although at least 190 brown bears currently live in Latvia, their presence alone does not mean an increased threat to people. Experts explained that it is important to distinguish between a dangerous animal and a dangerous situation (...)silava.lv

(...) public involvement is important, as it complements the monitoring and genetic analysis carried out by specialists. Individual animals can be identified from samples of hair, droppings and saliva, but information provided by residents helps build a much fuller picture of bear movements in Latvia.kodols.lv

According to the latest monitoring data, at least 190 brown bears are present in Latvia. The population is assessed using both systematic monitoring in specially protected nature areas and beyond, and genetic analysis, in which individual animals can be identified from samples of hair, droppings and saliva. daba.gov.lv

Miscellaneous

(...) Dienvidkurzeme Municipal Council will also continue to run the school next year, even though its infrastructure is designed for three times its current number of pupils. A similar situation, but with an even smaller number of pupils, also exists in Pāvilosta and Rucava, where the primary schools will be merged with nearby pre-school institutions. lsm.lv

(...) for some time now our elite have been lacking one thing – the ability simply to talk to each other (...)diena.lv

Current affairs in cartoons

lasi.lv · zime gatis sluka priecigus janus

diena.lv · ar milestibu no rigas 14353221

lasi.lv · zime gatis sluka kur man tevi tadu savitusu likt

lasi.lv · zime gatis sluka pietiek

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