In the post-war years, the forests of Latvia provided a home to hundreds of members of the national resistance movement. In Latvia, the forest has long been perceived as a refuge, a theme reflected in literature and folklore.

Forest rangers often worked in the forests for several generations and knew their forest areas very thoroughly. During the struggle of the national partisans from 1944 to 1953, forest rangers came under the heightened attention of the Cheka, and their homes and surroundings were kept under special surveillance. During their rounds, forest rangers sometimes never met the secret inhabitants, but saw the traces they left behind. Failure to report them or providing support to the fighters resulted in repressions – arrests and deportations – which also affected the families of the forest rangers.