In line with Green Deal guidelines in the context of climate change, the volume of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sequestered by forest land in Latvia by 2050 must reach 3.38 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent. To achieve this, the resilience of forest ecosystems must be increased or, put simply, unproductive forests must be replaced and new forests grown.

The risks to forest stand development caused by extreme natural phenomena can be mitigated, and additional CO2 sequestration ensured, only by selecting planting material adapted to the whims of the climate, as well as by tending young stands in a timely manner. As a result, tree growth improves significantly; the productivity of tended stands can be up to twice as high as that of untended stands, which simultaneously means that the stand absorbs twice as much carbon from the atmosphere. Tended forest stands are also more resilient to extreme changes in weather conditions; the trees are not spindly, and therefore suffer less in storms.