The industry

https://www.la.lv/valsts-lieliski-nopelnija
As president of the Latvian Timber Producers and Traders Association, I express the highest recognition to Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze for his ability to look deeply into the situation and assess its impact on the national economy, but even more so for his courage...

https://www.finieris.com/lv/latvijas-finieris-lielakais-vieteja-kapitala-razosanas-uznemums-latvija/
In the 2025 “TOP500”, “Latvijas Finieris” was again rated, as it was last year, the largest private company in Latvia with 100% domestic capital, and was included among Latvia's 20 largest exporters

https://rigasmezi.lv/jaunumi/izstradats-integretais-rigas-mezu-apsaimniekosanas-plans-lidz-2035-gadam
The plan is the first integrated forest management document of this scale in Latvia. It brings economic, ecological and social objectives together in a single framework, ensuring a balanced approach – from timber harvesting and the conservation of biological diversity to carbon sequestration, recreational opportunities and the protection of cultural and historical values.

https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/7806-verte-koksnes-buvniecibas-ietekmi-uz-klimata-parmainu-mazinasanu
In order to assess objectively the climate impact of various building materials and to justify their use in construction, including in public procurement, a common approach to calculating the emissions of buildings across their entire life cycle is needed.

https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/7808-valsts-mezi-sejot-un-stadot-sogad-atjaunoti-vairak-neka-14-7-tukstosu-hektaru-platiba
In total, almost 30 million selectively bred forest tree seedlings of various species were planted in the state forests this year. The most widely planted was pine – 17 million seedlings, followed by spruce with 8.6 million seedlings, with birch third by quantity at 3.3 million seedlings.

https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/dzive-stils/vide-un-dzivnieki/04.12.2025-mezs-dod-daudz-bet-ari-prasa-uzmanibu-saruna-ar-petnieci-zani-libieti.a624902/
Forest roads are human-made, yet ecologically very significant structures.

https://retv.lv/daba/aicina-necirst-svetku-eglites-rigas-un-pierigas-mezos/
Preserving spruce is said to be a particularly great challenge at present, when large areas of spruce have been destroyed by an outbreak of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, both in the Riga region and elsewhere in Latvia. The regeneration and tending of spruce stands so that they are resilient both to pests and to climate change is becoming ever more topical.

Golden Cone 2025

https://www.zm.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/pasniegtas-meza-nozares-balvas-zelta-ciekurs-2025
In the category “For contribution to the development of the industry”, the Golden Cone statuette was received by Arvīds Ozols, a long-standing shaper of forest sector policy, former director of the Forest Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, and a distinguished Latvian forester, public servant and industry leader.

On 17 January, a seminar at Smiltene Technical School: “Ask your drainage specialist!”
https://www.smiltenestehnikums.lv/news-info/1764156196/

Official

https://www.zm.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/petniecibai-un-inovacijam-lauksaimnieciba-un-mezsaimnieciba-bus-pieejami-6-miljoni-eiro
On 2 December, the government approved the state research programme for 2026–2028 on agricultural and forest resources, in order to strengthen Latvia's food self-sufficiency and, in the long term, to improve the efficiency with which Latvia's forest resources are used.

https://www.zm.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/2026-gada-pilna-apjoma-pieskirts-valsts-atbalsta-finansejums-lauksaimniecibai
The Ministry of Agriculture expresses its satisfaction with the state budget for 2026 adopted by the Saeima and the accompanying documents, which retain support both for farmers and food producers and for the education of new specialists in the agricultural sectors and the carrying out of research.

https://www.sam.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/apstiprinata-atjaunota-autocelu-strategija-lidz-2040gadam-pasvaldibam-noteikta-lielaka-loma
The informative report sets out further action on priorities for the development of the state main, regional and local roads, as well as measures to ensure local accessibility.

https://www.kem.gov.lv/lv/jaunums/kem-nodod-sabiedriskajai-apspriesanai-rikojumu-projektu-par-atjaunigas-energijas-projektiem
The Ministry of Climate and Energy has received submissions from the developers of five projects asking it to invite the Cabinet of Ministers to take a decision on accepting or not accepting the intended activity within the territory of a local authority, in accordance with the law approved in 2022, which provides for the possibility that the final decision on the implementation of renewable energy projects may be taken by the Cabinet of Ministers.

In the bogs

https://www.zemeunvalsts.lv/laflora-nosledz-2025-gada-kudras-ieguves-sezonu
Because of particularly unsuitable weather conditions, peat extraction volumes during this year's extraction season – from April to October – reached 71% of those of the previous year, when extraction was at its historical peak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3WBvoB2Jlw
Together with bog specialist Ilze Ozola, answers will be sought as to whether it is possible to restore a peat bog once it has been worked.

Deliberate braking of the economy?

https://www.la.lv/sadardzinasies-buvnieciba-no-2027-gada-kudra-maksas-piecas-reizes-vairak
On Thursday the Saeima adopted the amendments to the Natural Resources Tax Law put forward as part of the budget bill package, providing that from 2027 the natural resources tax rate on peat will be increased fivefold – to 3.5 euros per tonne – while unprocessed timber sold for commercial purposes outside the territory of the European Union and the European Economic Area will be subject to natural resources tax of 75 euros per cubic metre.

Research

https://www.medibam.lv/aicina-sabiedribu-iesaistities-petijumam-nepieciesamas-250-beigtas-zurkas-un-peles
Researchers at the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR invite the public to take part in a study of infectious diseases carried by rodents.

What a surprise!

https://inc-baltics.com/latvijai-budzeta-terini-par-slimibas-lapam-ir-piecas-reizes-lielaki-neka-lietuvai-un-par-90-miljoniem-lielaki-neka-igaunijai/
Latvia spends 350 million euros a year on paying for residents' sick leave certificates, while Lithuania spends only 70 million euros a year for the same purpose, despite Lithuania having 40% more inhabitants, according to information compiled by the LDDK.

Another surprise

https://www.diena.lv/raksts/uznemeja-diena/zinas/klimata-fronte-pagaidam--cina-bez-uzvaras-14345044
At the UN conference, countries fail to agree on a global reduction in fossil resources.

A beautiful gift

https://www.lvm.lv/jaunumi/7804-latvijas-valsts-mezu-arboretuma-varda-nosaukta-rododendru-skirne
In congratulating the Latvijas valsts meži arboretum in Kalsnava on its 50th anniversary, the University of Latvia's Rhododendron Breeding and Trial Nursery Babīte has given the arboretum a special present – it has named a beautiful rhododendron variety after the arboretum.

Here too

https://news.inbox.lv/14zkcjy-livanu-un-augsdaugavas-novados-atrod-kontrabandas-cigaresu-balonus?language=lv
In Rožupe, Līvāni municipality, the State Police discovered a meteorological balloon with contraband cigarettes attached to it.

Miscellaneous

https://satori.lv/article/strategiskajos-planos-pietrukst-butiska-aspekta-vides
All the same, I then expect the greens' political opponents to come forward with a clear proposal for how we are to address the tasks outlined in this text and many others besides. If there is no such proposal, then it is dishonest on the part of the politicians and thoughtless on the part of their supporters. We reject something because we do not like it, yet we do not want to think about the consequences of that rejection.

Current affairs in cartoons

https://www.lasi.lv/par-svarigo/karikatura/zime-gatis-sluka-sika.35251

https://www.lasi.lv/par-svarigo/karikatura/zime-gatis-sluka-tirdzinu-laiks.35093

https://www.diena.lv/raksts/diena-citi/karikaturista-skats/skanstes-apkalpojosais-personals-14345093

https://www.lasi.lv/par-svarigo/karikatura/zime-gatis-sluka-butiski-izdevigs-piedavajums.35141