“Rīgas Meži” only harvests timber in high-value areas after thorough research; 16 landscape design plans have already been prepared
On Tuesday, 20 September 2022, the Riga City Council Housing and Environment Committee (MVK) heard an informative report from SIA “Rīgas Meži” regarding forestry work carried out this year, paying particular attention to progress made in ensuring forest maintenance aligns with the new, more sustainable approach, with a special focus on preserving and developing natural and recreational values.
Taking into account the amendments to the “Rīgas Meži” “Forest Management Plan” (until 2026) supported by the committee last September, the company’s planned timber harvest volume for this year is 150,000 m3, which is almost 20% less than originally provided for in the previous version of the plan.
The planned timber harvest in commercial forests this year is 111,000 m3, while in areas with a high concentration of natural and recreational value, which, according to last year’s assessment, account for 48% of the total forest land area, the harvest volume is being reduced to 39,000 m3. In commercial forests, this year’s plan has been 75% completed, while in the valuable natural and recreational areas, 15% of the planned volume has been completed.
“Our new approach to forest maintenance determines that in areas with a high concentration of natural and recreational value, the goal of forestry is no longer the maximum extraction of cubic metres of timber, but rather the maintenance of existing values. Timber harvesting here is only a secondary process. Landscape design and creation in these areas is a new practice for the company in the field of forestry. We are the ‘pioneers’ of the practical implementation of this approach in Latvia! Therefore, especially the development of the first plans, gaining experience, generating ideas, developing methodological materials, and training ourselves and our partners—while respecting the processes occurring in the forest and the interests and needs of the visitors to these areas—means the company cannot rush forestry work,” emphasised Juris Zariņš, Head of the company’s Forest Management Planning Department.
“Rīgas Meži” specialists have already prepared 16 landscape design plans for valuable forest areas this year. Information about the work started and planned for the near future has been provided to the public and municipalities, while a public consultation and resident survey were conducted in September 2021 regarding the maintenance of the Jugla forest located in Riga. Forestry work, in accordance with the landscape design plans, has been initiated in five locations: the Jugla, Priedkalne, Bukulti, Makstenieki and Ezerdruva forests. In some of these locations, timber harvesting has been completed, but forest tidying—collecting branches, chipping, removing logging residues, clearing paths, and installing barriers and benches where planned—is underway in all five sites.
“The ‘Forest Management Plan’ is like a painting! At the moment, we are gaining invaluable experience in how to best introduce the public to the goals and methods of forest maintenance, and how to improve cooperation with external partners. We are gradually increasing our competence and our partners’ understanding of sustainable forestry. It is important that we have already received positive assessments from auditors of international forest certification standards,” J. Zariņš noted at the MVK meeting.
The amendments to the “Forest Management Plan” previously supported by the committee stipulate that timber harvest volumes in Riga and Pierīga forests were significantly reduced starting in 2022, with a complete cessation of forestry in forest habitat areas mapped by the Nature Conservation Agency’s “Nature Census” project. Furthermore, the amendments adopted last year dictate a reduction/limitation of timber harvesting in natural and recreational areas. As a result, this year the timber harvest volume has been reduced by 20%, and in 2023 it will be reduced by 27%.
The amendments to the “Forest Management Plan” were made with the aim of increasing the protection, preservation and development of natural and recreational values in forests owned by the municipality and managed by the company “Rīgas Meži”, by selecting the most appropriate forestry practice for each site. To develop the amendments to the plan, forest areas with a concentration of natural and recreational values were identified, where forestry is either not conducted or is carried out with very significant restrictions. In this process, biologically valuable and recreational forest stands were defined, where in-depth research must be conducted to determine whether economic activity should be partially or fully restricted. Finally, plots where timber harvesting proceeds as planned have been defined.