The cooperative is calling on decision-makers to formulate and implement a unified legal framework for the trade of agricultural raw materials and products that aligns with public interests and values, and is binding for market participants.

 

 

On 7 December, at a solemn ceremony in the Grand Hall of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies attended by the President, the winners of the Forest Sector Annual Award “Golden Cone 2023” were presented. The awards were given in five categories: “For Lifetime Achievement”, “For Innovative Entrepreneurship”, “For Scientific Contribution to Sector Development”, “For Contribution to Sector Development”, and “For Sustainable Management”.

 

To increase state-owned forest areas and ensure their future responsible management, JSC “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) continues to purchase land from private and legal entities. By selling land to LVM, this valuable land resource remains in state ownership, promoting economic development and expanding forest accessibility for public recreation and tourism.

 

When managing Latvian forests, trading timber, and processing it, international laws must be taken into account. The goal of the Deforestation Regulation is to ensure that specific products are traceable and have been produced/grown without causing deforestation or forest degradation, whether in the EU or in third countries. However, things are not as smooth as one might wish, as the new requirements, for which the nuances of implementation are not yet fully clear, will create an additional burden for many.

 

The new store is located in the Polish city of Lublin. During this year, the PATA Group has already opened three specialized timber stores in Poland – one in Olsztyn in March, and another in Gliwice in September.

 

Kārlis Bičkovskis, a scientific assistant at the LSFRI “Silava”, introduces the study “Modelling tools for assessing carbon cycle and greenhouse gas emissions in deciduous stands damaged by heart rot”.

 

In a cycle of four seminars held in October and November across Latvia's historical regions, a topic important for the present and future of Latvian agricultural production was discussed: the mapping of Latvian agricultural soils and the prevalence of peat soils.

 

With the holidays approaching, when many are likely looking for a green Christmas decoration, SIA “Rīgas meži” urges people not to cut down trees in the forests of Riga and its surrounding areas! At the same time, the company offers its vast territories for recreation, walks, and enjoying the winter.

 

Before forest maintenance, “Rīgas meži” informed the public about the goals and progress of the work, and listened to the opinions and proposals of residents and specialists. As a result, one more area, “Reljefs” (in quarter 113), was identified – it will be cleared from the outside, shaping the landscape by sawing out the surrounding undergrowth and freeing the large pine trees. Maintenance is scheduled to be carried out by the spring of 2024 (excluding the bird nesting season).

 

As the winter season begins, the State Forest Service reminds the public about the conditions for supplemental feeding of wild game animals. When setting up game feeders, several restrictions must be taken into account, and correct placement of feed must be ensured so that while promoting wild boar hunting, the spread of African swine fever is not encouraged.

 

 

 

 

Initially, he was comforted that the loss was a mere 10 cubic metres of timber, but it turned out to be much worse. The owners of “Strēlnieki” saw a large clearing, where approximately 70 stumps were counted, and it was calculated that 75 cubic metres of timber had been cut down. With the help of a specialist, Artūrs calculated that the loss in monetary terms is approximately 20,000 euros.

 

 

Unfortunately, if there is a large shadow economy, it is difficult to attract foreign investment, and it is difficult to get financing for business. This also makes it difficult to manage how much money we actually have in the State Treasury, so that the money can realistically be in the economy and people's average well-being can grow.

 

 

The main problem in Latvian forest management is that both the forest sector and the responsible Ministry of Agriculture view the forest as a long-cycle agricultural crop. This is what Viesturs Ķerus, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Ornithological Society, said in an interview with the portal Jauns.lv, pointing out that this view should be fundamentally changed. He stressed that forest harvesting is happening too intensively. In forest management, we should not take the Scandinavian countries as an example.

 

 

What and how do we talk about climate change? What and how do others – politicians, nature lovers, entrepreneurs, and farmers – talk to us? A study by scientists at Riga Stradiņš University, “From Indifference to Change in Climate Policy: Improving the Interaction between Political Narrative and Public Perception in Latvia”, reveals that what politicians talk about is neither understandable nor important to the public, and vice versa – little appears in political communication about the aspects of climate change that interest the public, such as the fact that 45% of Latvian society cares about the preservation of the environment and nature.

 

 

 

In December, JSC “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) will begin work in the Natura 2000 territory of Engure Lake Nature Park to improve the condition of the wooded coastal dunes, a habitat of European Union importance characteristic of the Latvian coast. The work will take place in two areas with a total area of 33 hectares.

 

https://www.delfi.lv/life/56010800/notikumi/56166298/sovasar-adazu-poligona-apgredzenoti-septini-zalo-varnu-mazulii

“In total, in the summer of 2023, 12 occupied European roller nests were known in the Riga area – 11 of them were in boxes, and one in a natural tree hollow. Eight of them were successful. In them, 28 European roller chicks were ringed, seven of which were in the Ādaži military training area,” says ornithologist Edmunds Račinskis, adding that in total, 120 European roller chicks have been ringed in the Ādaži area over 17 years. Although the European roller was a common species in Latvia as recently as the middle of the last century, it is currently only found in the forests near Riga, where only about ten pairs of European rollers nest.

 

Several Jelgava residents have complained in the last week that they have seen a fox in the city centre near the railway station area that is not afraid of people and could be infected with rabies. One Jelgava resident wrote on social media that a fox had been wandering across the street near the city library on Zemgales prospekts. “I have already seen such specimens, and it becomes clear to me immediately – the animal is sick with rabies. Moreover, in a quite severe form. And that is not good,” writes the eyewitness with great certainty.

 

 

Strengthening the link between creativity and the growing role of forests in Latvia, the “Latvijas valsts meži” scholarship in art has been awarded for the seventh consecutive year. This year, the 1,500-euro scholarship for the further development of artistic talent was won by Herta Balode, a 1st-year student in the Painting sub-branch of the bachelor’s programme at the Art Academy of Latvia, for her work “Transition”.

 

To deepen the understanding of natural science, chemistry, and physics teachers about wood and to provide ideas for practical work during lessons, JSC “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM), together with cooperation partners from the forest and education sectors, held further education courses for teachers last month on the new methodological tool “Wood Experiments for Grades 5-12”.

 

The Latvian Television building in Zaķusala, which was built during the Soviet era, is a very significant structure in the Riga cityscape and, at the same time, a strategic object of national importance; but, on the other hand, it is also a giant piece of junk that, as the years go by, is increasingly becoming a symbol of politicians' inability to make decisions. Renovating the building would require at least 66 million euros.

 

After four years, the experiment with (not) teaching history in secondary schools has ended. During these years, young people have left school desks having studied history in secondary school minimally or not at all. History teachers, who were the first to raise the alarm about the “Skola 2030” system, where history is no longer a separate subject in secondary school, have succeeded in ensuring that it returns to the programme from 1 September next year.

 

 

For now, the only fairly safely predictable outcome of what the opposition calls a scandal over the discovery that during Krišjānis Kariņš's time as Prime Minister, a practice was introduced that cost the state budget dearly—using private, rather than scheduled, flights for work trips—is one that will affect the place of the recently almost-canonized Kariņš in the hierarchy of the New Unity (JV) party itself, and accordingly, the order of contenders for international positions.

 

Election results in several European Union countries indicate a change in political course. Experts in international politics explain these changes both by local factors and by the public's reaction to global problems.