Interview with Professor Linards Sisenis, Dean of the Faculty of Forest at LLU

Does hunting currently also balance the increase in the number of animals observed in cities? Here, of course, we are not referring to the wild boar numbers significantly 'thinned' by plagues.

We often discuss this question with students in our Hunting lectures. Looking back historically: "What was the forest cover of our current Latvian territory, for example, two thousand years ago?" This figure varies slightly in different sources of information, but it is around 95%. Forests, waters, bogs. As civilization developed, forest areas gradually shrank until – the lowest forest cover in Latvia was in the period between 1933 and 1940 (depending on the source of information, 23–27%). After the war, forest areas began to increase again for various reasons. At a time when practically the entire territory of Latvia was covered by forests, humans had a minimal impact on animal populations, but as forest areas decreased, the area available to animal populations also gradually decreased.

For understanding, one can draw parallels with the human population and human reactions. If a family with children lives in a certain territory, let's say a house, everyone feels comfortable, there is enough space, and there are no big problems. If the number of inhabitants in the house, or this micro-population, suddenly increases by 20 or 30 individuals, logically, the residential space per person decreases. In the first few days, maybe everyone still feels fine in a group and tolerates each other happily enough, but as time passes, tension, friction, disagreements, and internal stress arise. As a result, part of the micro-population goes to look for more suitable conditions. Currently, the situation with game animals in Latvian forests is similar! In many places, the density of animals is high, there is nowhere for them to migrate to, and therefore there are two solutions: either humans pack up their belongings and let 'nature live', or we regulate game animal populations reasonably by hunting them, thereby both taking care of biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources, and balancing the interests of the national economy and nature. It is like this all over the world; we have not invented anything new! Of course, there is a natural solution that often regulates the population if it is too large – diseases, but – do we and the animals need them?

I think, in terms of diseases, we have had enough with pigs!

Exactly! The controversially assessed African swine fever. Why do I use the word "controversial"? Knowing what the wild boar density was in many places and what damage they caused to agriculture, knowing how suddenly this plague appeared to us and how rapidly it spread, I do not believe it arrived to us in a "natural" way. I do not believe it! That does not happen! If one follows how the plague "flared up" in different parts of the country... Of course, this issue can be debated, but human beings definitely played a significant role in the spread of African swine fever.

Sometimes in conversations, people, without much thought, say: "There are no pigs left in Latvia!" Are there not?

There are pigs! I am not a biologist, but in my opinion, in the course of evolution, there have not been infectious diseases that have resulted in any species becoming completely extinct. I may be wrong, but in my opinion, there have not! For example, during the so-called Plague times in the mid-14th century, when the Bubonic plague 'swept over' all of Eurasia in a few years, starting from Asia, moving in a western, then north-western, and then eastern direction, taking the lives of millions of people. In many places, practically entire cities died out, territories remained empty, but there were those who survived. Similarly, in the mid-90s of the last century, we experienced the classical swine fever in Latvia; the right bank of the Daugava suffered significantly, but the population recovered in a few years, and wild boars, by reasonably managing the population, appeared again. I think it will be the same this time! And hunters will have to hunt wild boars; otherwise, knowing that the economic growth of pigs is no less than 100%, the population will experience an expansion again.

What about nature conservation and its values in relation to large predators? We often mention European regulations... In Latvia, people are not heard worrying about the lack of wolves... It seems we can share the wolves!

I think that if we offered to catch wolves and 'share' them, no one in Europe would want them! There are many wolves in Latvia, very many, and they could be hunted more!

When developing and implementing nature conservation regulations, it is very important to find a balance, to balance the opinion of all involved parties, which is talked about a lot here, but often those who shout the loudest, putting forward demagogic and populist claims, also manage to have various nonsense and scientifically unfounded restrictions incorporated into normative acts... Humans, naturally, do not like being forced! Resistance and dislike for perhaps even well-intended things arise automatically: "If I am forced, I will basically not do it!" If we look at history, during the years of Soviet occupation, forests were managed more or less intensively, economic activity took place, and there were very few various habitats, micro- and macro-reserves, buffer zones, etc.! At that time, chemistry was quite actively used in agriculture and, unfortunately, not much attention was paid to or thought given to what the consequences of its use would be! If we assume that World War II, the first five post-war years at the beginning of the Soviet occupation, and another five after 1990 were transition years, then the fifty-five-year period from 1940 to 1995 is long enough for endangered species to disappear due to "incorrect management". We still have these species, and they have not disappeared due to "incorrect management" in the fifty-five-year period!... Why??? No passionate nature defender and supporter of bans has been able to answer me this question. I would gladly hear an answer from today's green radicals who want to divide Latvia into micro-reserves: "If management during the Soviet years was incorrect, nature-unfriendly, and without the n-number of reserves and restrictions, why do many protected species still exist in Latvia today and their number is increasing? How did this happen, contrary to the publicly expressed green conviction, if 'management has been so incorrect, flawed, and destructive all the time'?"

It would be of greater benefit if the energy that the green radicals dedicate to generating micro-reserves and restrictive regulatory bases were dedicated to educating the public and working with the public, and raising them so that mountains of plastic and other waste do not grow in forests and on roadsides. The young generation must be shown an example in safeguarding and preserving values, focusing less on regulated or mandatory protection. The Greens themselves need a different style of thinking! Not necessarily with bans and repressions, but by talking, teaching, and showing! With forced methods, we get the opposite result: forest or land owners often hide natural values because they are afraid of possible bans. Which is why everyone, including nature, only loses!

The director of "Silava", Jurģis Jansons, said precisely in a recent discussion: "If you believe that those around you are stealing, it means you are stealing yourself!" The same applies to natural values. A normal person who owns a forest, if they find a nest or a tree hollow where someone lives, will not destroy it! Why would one do that? I want to hear a reasoned reason: WHY??? I would protect a nest; it would not cross my mind to cut down a landmark tree! Friends, acquaintances, and colleagues with whom I have talked about this think similarly! Of course, there are drops of tar in the milk jugs and honey pots, but the rest of society should not be measured by them! There will always be someone who will do something differently. With us and in many other places, nature conservation is exaggerated; it is, of course, a business for certain people – their survival – a struggle for existence. Moreover, it is done with the awareness of a world-saviour. Only for some reason, this "saving the world" is in close correlation with project funding, i.e., money. The funding ends, the saving ends... These "world-saviours", unfortunately, do not understand or do not want to understand. In exaggerated zeal, by removing an extra hectare of forest from economic circulation, damage is often done in the long term not only to the species for whose sake it is being done (protected/saved), but the damage affects the national economy because, in the long term, not only those working in the forestry sector suffer, but also related industries, right down to the shop assistant and hairdresser.

What is happening at the Forest Faculty at the moment? In Jelgava, there has been talk for a long time about the amount of LLU space, and the Forest Faculty, which could head to the palace, is also mentioned...

Yes, for a while there were talks about moving a Jelgava school to the faculty building, but – the number of floors determined by the regulations is too high for a school! The faculty building is taller than a school is allowed to be. Talking about the future, we are working on attracting European funds for the renovation of the building. Currently, a plan for the renovation of the premises is at the procurement stage. In 2012, by attracting EU funding, we renovated the classrooms on the 4th floor and a little bit on the 3rd floor, as well as the staircases. We replaced the roofing. We are gradually changing the windows. This year, it is planned to tidy up the unrenovated classrooms. There is no basis for concerns about moving. The conditions for absorbing EU funding state that after the end of the project, the premises must be used for the intended purpose. Future plans include making the building more energy efficient. When we are done with the building, the idea is to "tackle" the park in front of the faculty. It needs to be reconstructed, we are planning to place educational environmental objects in it, so that both students and schoolchildren can "train", as well as city children can come to play and learn something new.

The faculty once had excellent summer practice sites – Šķēde, Kalsnava...

For a long time now, the most intensive practices have been taking place in Kalsnava. Students go to Šķēde for botany and dendrology practices. The parsonage (in Šķēde) has not belonged to LLU for a long time; it was returned to the local parish in the 90s. I don't know what is happening there now. Two modern practice bases have been built in both Šķēde and Kalsnava, which meet European standards in terms of living conditions.

A bit further from Šķēde, we were once shown beautiful hundred-year-old stands... We were there for forestry practice.

The stands are still there! Unique stands with excellent stock – silver fir, beech, red oak, larch. When you enter a more than a hundred-year-old silver fir or beech stand... you feel and understand the majesty of nature. Without words!

How is science at the faculty?

Quality science is linked to funding. Funding provides the opportunity to attract quality scientific personnel. But for quality scientific personnel, full working hours must be spent on science. A peculiarity of the university: a lecturer has pedagogical work, and to do it qualitatively, it requires a lot of time; furthermore, one must work in science in parallel. Back in the day, when a number of professors worked in the faculty, they led and coordinated scientific research projects because a professor's workload in pedagogical work was significantly lower. In turn, "non-professors" could earn extra in these studies. Currently, the "old guard" has mostly retired, which does not mean that we are not involved in science. In the field of forestry, we actively cooperate in the implementation of scientific projects with "Silava", and in the direction of woodworking and timber processing, there is good cooperation with the institute MeKA. Thus, lecturers can do both pedagogical work and simultaneously work in science and prepare publications. Of course, there is also work on preparing project applications.

Now, for twenty-seven years, no matter where I have had to work, hearing: "trained forester", a certain respect appears in the eyes of the interlocutor(s)... It is still like that!

Looking at history: who were the most respected people in the parish or the manor? The teacher, the priest, and, undoubtedly, the forester! Because the forester cared for the "green gold", grew, nurtured, protected, and guarded it. Thus, respect for the forester's profession was inherited through generations. A dynasty profession. Even after World War II, this prestige of the industry was maintained, and during the occupation period, the greatest merits in this belonged to the then-minister Leon Vītols. Now, although there are significantly fewer people in rural areas and in the era of new technologies a person does not have to spend as much time in the forest as before, the forester's prestige has not been lost, but the romantic connection with the forest has been lost. That connection that once many associated with the forester's job: "A wise, clever, and undeniably solid forester in the forest – a tall man in a green uniform with a hat on his head and a rifle over his shoulder..."

The forester's profession and work in the forest sector are and will be prestigious! Young people come to study, the only question is – how motivated they are for studies and growth! I see the problem in the fact that young people want everything and immediately - immediate success in studies, to work in a leading position immediately after university, but not to grow through self-improvement. What do I mean by that? Quite a few think they will immediately become bosses after university and earn a lot. You cannot work in a leading position if you do not understand the specific field or production processes "from the bottom to the top"! In the 90s of the last century, while implementing continuous education reforms, it was widely said that universities train managers. Seemingly correct, but in reality, something else happened – they destroyed the secondary vocational education that was quite well developed; as a result, now this segment or the conditional middle class that trains middle-level managers – practitioners, has lost prestige because it was cultivated for a long time that a technical school is "yuck!" When they realized they were "in trouble", they started to understand and invest money in vocational education. Its prestige is ruined and, although technical schools and colleges can train good specialists, millions have been invested in them, excellent infrastructure, renovated, modern premises, young people do not want to go there to study. In turn, universities were reoriented to academic education, maximally reducing or removing the practical part from study plans. Currently, when producers lack middle-level specialists with technical school education, as well as theoretically and practically well-prepared managers with a university diploma, officials have finally understood this too, and now university academic programs are also being reoriented back in a practical direction. We are also currently working intensively to return "lost" practices to study plans, moreover, practices and practical classes not as study excursions, but as an opportunity for the student to understand production processes, to be present, to act, and to try for themselves! In this regard, the Forest Faculty's advantage is the agency "Forest Research Station", as well as the active support of forest sector companies, especially the joint-stock company "Latvijas Valsts meži" and the faculty's Advisory Convent, in which leading employees of industry companies and organizations operate. I can assert that studying at the faculty is interesting and, upon receiving a diploma, the graduate will have a job with guaranteed career growth opportunities! It remains for them to be motivated in life to use all this and achieve the set goals.