In 2025, AS “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) continued to develop and maintain forest infrastructure throughout Latvia, providing access to forest areas for both forestry and recreational purposes. Substantial investment was made in the forest road network last year across a total length of 336 kilometres.
Over the course of the year, both new forest road construction and reconstruction works were carried out, as well as renewal and routine maintenance of the existing road network: construction and reconstruction works were completed on 107 kilometres of forest roads, surface renewal on existing roads was carried out over 229 kilometres, while roadbed upkeep works covered 30,227 kilometres of forest roads.
Routine maintenance across the entire LVM road network
LVM manages a road network with a total length of more than 12,000 km, so alongside construction, regular road maintenance is also of considerable importance. Proper maintenance extends the service life of a road, ensures road quality and improves traffic safety.
LVM Executive Director of Production and Construction Kārlis Volfs explains:
“Roadbed upkeep includes road levelling, grading and profiling works. Roadbed upkeep is carried out according to the intensity of road use: most roads are graded only once a year, preventing the road surface from becoming overgrown with grass, whereas on road sections that are used more intensively the surface is tended even six or more times.”
Routine maintenance also devoted considerable attention to mowing shoots and grass, which was carried out along 10,778 km of roads. Shrubs and tree shoots growing at the roadside impede water drainage, their roots begin to damage the road structure, while their branches overhang the road and hinder its drying, gradually damaging the road and shortening its service life. As a result of mowing, roadside ditches do not become overgrown with tree shoots or shrubs and the road is more visible on bends and at junctions, making it safer for traffic. At the same time, the drying of roads is improved.
In addition, various road repair works were carried out last year, such as the repair of depressions and potholes, using 40,200 m³ of imported mineral materials (crushed gravel, gravel or chippings). This type of repair work is most often used on road sections where the road surface has lost its bearing capacity and local depressions have formed as the gravel surface mixes with sandy material. Surface renewal was carried out using 60,130 m³ of mineral materials. These repair works are performed on road sections where the bearing capacity of the road surface needs to be strengthened. Roadside ditches were also cleared last year to the extent of 1,450 m³, ensuring water drainage from the road surface and thereby extending the durability of the road structure.
The regions’ contribution to forest road development
Forest road construction and reconstruction works were carried out in all LVM regions, ensuring planned infrastructure development: 26 km of works in the Vidzeme region, 26 km in the Kurzeme region, 28 km in the Zemgale region and 27 km in the Latgale region.
Forest road surface renewal was also carried out over 229 km on those roads where water drainage is sufficient and the road base structure is in satisfactory condition.
The longest construction projects in 2025
In 2025, the longest construction project was the reconstruction of the “Zilezera ceļš” forest road in the Latgale region, carried out over 7.59 kilometres. The longest renewal project, meanwhile, was the “Sokolovska ceļš” forest road in the Zemgale region, where road surface renewal was carried out over 8.21 kilometres.
A new bridge built from timber
In addition to road construction, a new bridge across the river Pedele in Valka municipality was also built in 2025. The bridge is a single-span timber-concrete structure with a 13-metre span, a total length of 19.5 metres and a 4.5-metre-wide carriageway. Glued laminated timber beams were used in the bridge’s construction; these are significantly lighter than concrete structures while retaining the same strength. Such a solution makes it possible to reduce the environmental impact of construction while at the same time providing safe infrastructure both for forestry purposes and for local residents’ access to forest areas.
A well-developed road network is an essential prerequisite for sustainable forest management, enabling efficient timber transport throughout the year, rapid access for fire safety and forest protection purposes, and the opportunity for the public to use forests for recreation. Investment in forest infrastructure helps to maintain an accessible and safe forest environment across Latvia, while also promoting regional development.