After a short summer break, we have returned to continue providing information on current events in the forestry and related sectors through discussions, interviews, and articles, to share interesting experiences, and to remind more than a few people that the city centre is not the centre of the world.

The summer has been hot in many ways – both in terms of thermometer readings and meteorological forecasts, in the achievements of businesses (the betulin production facility and new warehouse building of a/s “Latvijas Finieris”), in internal industry changes (the Director General of the State Forest Service stepped down, a new board began work at a/s “Latvijas valsts meži”), in concerns about the coming winter, in thoughts about the war still raging nearby, and in the anticipation of rain.

Many events expected this autumn and beyond are important.

What will the next – 14th Saeima – be like, and what kind of Cabinet of Ministers will it form?

How and how intensely will the war in Ukraine continue, and can any favourable turns for the Ukrainians and for us all be expected?

What will autumn be like, and what do meteorologists and practical factors (heat, costs, food) promise us for the winter?

Have we carefully (even meticulously) followed what is happening and what is being drafted within the structures and offices of the European Union?

What documents have been created outside of Latvia – how well-founded are they, how carefully have they been evaluated, and – most importantly – how necessary are they for us, the people of Latvia?

Has a broader desire for economic independence emerged in Latvia – beyond just entrepreneurs and individual politicians – and how does it align with EU plans?

Is the Green Deal a dogma partially bogged down in piles of documents, or is it a plan for how to live more environmentally friendly without harming ourselves?

Have we become wiser and more critical in our thinking, realising that we were and will continue to be a part of Europe?

About all this, starting from the first days of September.