The sector
In a closed sitting, the government had instructed Latvijas valsts meži to reduce the price of coniferous saw logs so that the buyers — forest sector companies — would not incur losses. tvnet.lv
...when the government took its decision on support for timber producers in 2023, it did not seem to it that it was making a decision in the interests of private companies rather than of the state, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa stressed to journalists on Wednesday after the cabinet sitting.tvnet.lv
The term forest sector means land use. There are countries both in Europe and elsewhere in the world that can afford to use their forests more for beauty and for the soul, but we have to bear in mind what the classic authors said — that a forest must be divided so that there is something to gladden the heart and something to fill the purse. jauns.lv
AS “Latvijas valsts meži” and the company's trade union “LVM Cilvēkam un Mežam” have concluded a collective agreement, with the aim of strengthening the legal position of employees at “Latvijas valsts meži”, the organisation of pay and occupational safety, and the procedures for establishing and terminating employment relationships, as well as regulating social protection and working arrangements at the company.lvm.lv
Latvia has the highest consumption of birch plywood per capita. Most of what is produced is exported to European Union and European Economic Area countries, but a considerable share is also used in Korea and Japan, as well as in North America.delfi.lv
People nowadays live more in cities, our daily lives are governed by technology, and to a certain extent we have cut ourselves off from nature and from the forest. Dependence on natural resources has diminished considerably, in the sense that there is no longer any need to go to the forest for fuel or for food, which is of course no bad thing, but at the same time people are developing a somewhat different understanding, and not only of natural processes...delfi.lv
The sector (in English)
Our main task is to protect and develop Latvia's forestry and timber industry as a strategically important part of the national economy. To ensure a stable and predictable flow of wood resources that would allow the entire value chain — forestry, processing, energy, exports — to maintain its competitiveness and sustainability over the long term.timber.fordaq.com
European Tree of the Year
zemeunvalsts.lv · eiropas gada koks latvija 2
Official
Minister for Agriculture Armands Krauze has decided to submit an application to the Prosecutor General's Office, asking it to assess possible unlawful conduct by officials...zm.gov.lv
Prosecutor General Armīns Meisters has assigned the inspection to the Coordination Unit for the Protection of the Rights of Persons and the State of the Prosecutor General's Office's Operational Control and International Cooperation Department.lsm.lv
The availability of food is a strategic task, but food supply is bound up with various risks, such as disruptions to deliveries, climate and geopolitical instability, and plant and animal diseases.zm.gov.lv
Until now, shop shelves have carried the familiar fruit juices, juices from concentrate and nectars. But from 14 June 2026, producers will be able to offer a new type of juice — fruit juice with reduced sugar content and fruit juice from concentrate with reduced sugar content. zm.gov.lv
The Ministry of Climate and Energy and Estonia's Ministry of Climate have signed an agreement on closer cooperation in the protection and sustainable use of transboundary waters, as well as in flood risk management. kem.gov.lv
Economist of the Year
In the “Economist of the Year 2025” category, the award went to Uldis Ameriks, Chairman of the Board of SIA “Laflora”.zz.lv
Award of the Year
In the category “For a company's contribution to strengthening defence — for support provided to advancing Ukraine's defence capabilities”, the award was presented to AS “Latvijas Finieris”.
The company also received the LDDK Award of the Year in the nomination “For a company's support for education, investment in educational infrastructure and the improvement of its processes”.finieris.com
Education
The aim of the agreement is to promote the achievement of the learning outcomes set out in the national education standards and the preservation and enhancement of the value of forests, as well as to foster a responsible attitude to nature in children and young people.lvm.lv
Digital matters
The internet today is controlled and manipulated even more than ever before. Global internet freedom has deteriorated this year for the 15th year running.kursors.lv
...over the long term, the effectiveness of digital governance is determined by three closely interlinked strands: unified coordination, competence and security.db.lv
Agriculture
We have reached a situation where local vegetables do not make it onto shop shelves but are left to rot in the field, because harvesting them costs more than can be recouped.bauskasdzive.lv
Bogs
We invite those owners of historical peat extraction sites whose territories have been identified as suitable for revitalisation following the inventory, and who have not yet applied, to contact the representatives of the relevant planning region in order to take part in the project's activities.lasi.lv
Hunting
A discussion entitled “Restricting lead ammunition in Europe: impact and consequences” took place at the European Parliament on 18 November.latma.lv
...we talk about penalties for hunters and various infringements, and analyse the most high-profile recent cases...medibam.lv
This study, published in Biological Conservation, analyses how the presence and behaviour of domestic animals — dogs and cats in particular — affects wildlife and biodiversity in Europe. medibam.lv
Environment
A pest with a brilliant appearance but a devastating impact — that is one way to describe the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), which is killing off native ash species in North America, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and is now approaching Latvia as well.retv.lv
The Ministry of Climate and Energy has updated its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions calculation tool for the waste management sector. The tool provides an automated and user-friendly approach to calculating GHG emissions, covering activities such as waste transport, recycling, recovery and disposal.kem.gov.lv
The glass that ends up at beverage packaging collection points and the glass collected by construction waste companies are two different types of glass, handled by different companies. db.lv
...fish farming and aquaculture are by no means a bad thing — all of that is good and necessary for the economy, but the particular technology being proposed is unacceptable and outdated, and moreover it has been banned in Denmark since 2019, which is precisely why the company wants to operate on our coast...ntz.lv
As part of the recultivation work, slopes have been graded and levelled, and the infrastructure has been put in order — boundary markers, gates and information signs have been dismantled.lvm.lv
Over the course of two years, nesting and feeding habitats suitable for waterfowl and wading birds were restored on Akmeņrova Island in the Lake Engure nature park.daba.gov.lv
We invite everyone with an interest, and in particular landowners living in the reserves and in the buffer zone of the Teiči nature reserve, to attend the meetings and take part in drawing up the plans.daba.gov.lv
The work will take place in four of Latvia's national parks — Gauja, Ķemeri, Slītere and Rāzna — in the Teiči and Krustkalni nature reserves, in the “Ragakāpa” and “Pape” nature parks and in the “Vecdaugava” and “Lubāns wetland” nature reserves. daba.gov.lv
On 12 November, the Administrative Regional Court ruled that the terraced house in Mārupe beside the felled ancient oak is not to be demolished, and required the Mārupe municipality building authority to take a decision on the inclusion of new design conditions...lsm.lv
...at a volunteer work day in the Pilori oak stand of Rāzna National Park, a remarkable ancient oak was cleared of encroaching shrubs and trees, improving its growing conditions and extending its life.daba.gov.lv
This year, a Bonelli's warbler was recorded in Latvia for the first time, in Engure district, along with a long-legged buzzard near Ilūkste, a surf scoter at Kolkasrags and a Pechora pipit in Liepāja.delfi.lv
Ilze Priedniece, an ornithologist and head of the dabasdati.lv portal, explains: “It is a glossy ibis. It is very rare in Latvia, but not an unprecedented visitor — this is the thirteenth sighting.”jauns.lv
Climate change
The first thing is security. The economy is derived from security. If you have no security around you and you have no money to pay for everything, then it makes absolutely no difference to you whether that tree is there or not. lsm.lv
Miscellaneous
...the state ought to support small regional media — the kind set up by journalists themselves in order to inform the public about events, with no one standing behind them, whose village or small town is too small to be of interest to advertisers. Their social function is important; small media like these create a sense of community in the more remote regions and perform a whole range of other functions that are necessary in a healthy society, and I am sure no one would object to that.inc-baltics.com
Let us start with the fact that we call them friends. What do we need from friends? Aviation. First of all, we need to close the skies. lsm.lv
Is any research currently being done into why the notional West failed to see that Russia was not in fact taking the same path towards democracy as the other post-Soviet states, and that Russia's ambitions remain imperialist?satori.lv
This year the spruces intended for Rīga's festive decorations were found in the territory of the Tīreļi forest district, not far from the settlement of Cielavas. They will adorn Dome Square and Town Hall Square.rigasmezi.lv
Current affairs in cartoons
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