A major forest management project has been completed in the area of the Abavas rumba nature trail. Over its course, 10 hectares of a nearly century-old pine heath forest were thinned and tended, and the nature trail was restored, allowing every visitor to see for themselves what well-considered forest management can achieve.
The project was carried out by SIA Latvijas Mežsaimnieks in cooperation with the property owners, who drew up an individual management plan taking into account the area's legal restrictions, its landscape value and the forest's long-term future. The work was carried out over the 2025/2026 winter period to minimise the impact on the soil and surrounding environment. Given the area's particular ecological value, no harvesting machinery was used, and all the work was carried out with hand tools and chainsaws.
Particular attention was paid to preserving biodiversity: deadwood and felled trees were left in the area to provide a habitat for insects, mosses and small animals, and young trees of various sizes were retained, forming the basis of the pine heath forest's future.
The project's outcome surprised the owners themselves: not only was a landscape-valuable, well-tended forest achieved, but the financial return also exceeded every option initially on offer.
Besides the forest management work, the whole area managed by SIA “Abavas rumba” is regularly maintained and kept tidy, to give visitors a pleasant, good-quality experience of the outdoors. The grass in the area is mown, litter is collected and removed, and other maintenance work is carried out to keep the setting neat and inviting for anyone who enjoys nature.
For visitors' convenience, shelters have been built for picnics, and sinks with water are available for washing hands and other needs. Toilets, benches, several swings and other equipment for various physical activities have been installed. A nature trail has also been laid out through the forest, allowing visitors to get a closer look at the area's natural values and enjoy a peaceful walk through the pine heath forest.
Continuing to develop the area and promote opportunities to learn about nature, SIA Latvijas Mežsaimnieks, in cooperation with SIA “Abavas rumba”, has added information boards along the trail that explain the forest environment, biodiversity and the principles of sustainable management in an accessible way.
“Every forest needs an individual solution. Here, what mattered to us was not just harvesting, but preserving the forest's value, its landscape and its natural balance, so that the owner would end up with both a well-tended property and a setting that can now be explored on an unhurried, educational walk,” says Salvis Petriks, a representative of Latvijas Mežsaimnieks.
Every visitor to Abavas rumba can now walk the restored forest trail and see for themselves what responsible, sustainable forest management really means.