On Thursday, 26 January, at 15:00, “Rīgas meži” will present the forest management work planned for this year in the “Mežaparks” culture and leisure park forest and its surrounding areas. This work relates to both improving safety and shaping the forest landscape. Representatives of “Mežaparks” and neighbourhood associations, as well as local residents, are especially welcome to attend.

The event will take place in one of the “Mežaparks” forest tracts where the removal of hazardous poplars is planned: https://ej.uz/5e6g. Gathering starts at 14.45 in the area near Lēdurgas and Mores streets: https://ej.uz/3sbj. Parking for vehicles is available in this vicinity.

“Rīgas meži” representatives will participate in the event, and industry specialists have also been invited. At the end of the event, there will be an opportunity for the media to ask questions.

It is intended that even after the event, residents will be able to review the planned forest management work online, as well as provide their reasoned opinions and proposals regarding it. Information will be available on the “Rīgas meži” website and Facebook page, hashtags: #BīstamāsPapeles and #MežaparkaMežaKopšana, email: rigasmezi@rigasmezi.lv (subject “Mežaparka meža kopšana”).

A brief overview of the planned work:

Felling of hazardous poplars in the “Mežaparks” forest and near the Sarkandaugava cemetery. This work will be carried out in response to residents' requests, as well as in accordance with the State Forest Service's opinion on sanitary felling and the approval of the National Heritage Administration.

Objective of the work: to fell hazardous trees and prepare the soil for the planting of new pines. Planned timeframe: mid-February to April 2023.

Forest management in “Mežaparks” will continue in the section near Meža prospekts. This work will be carried out in accordance with the “Mežaparks” local spatial plan and the “Forest Management Plan” developed on that basis.

Objective of the work: to manage the forest, provide leisure opportunities for residents, preserve natural and scenic values, and maintain undisturbed areas for small forest animals. Planned timeframe: mid-February to 15 April 2023 and September 2023 to 15 April 2024 (work will not take place during the bird nesting season).

Residents and visitors to the area are urged to observe safety requirements and movement restrictions during the forest work!

At the end of last year, following a public procurement, the research centre “SKDS” conducted a public survey regarding the planned forest management and landscape shaping work in the “Mežaparks” forest. Key findings:

78% of respondents indicated that management and landscape shaping of the “Mežaparks” forest are necessary, 9% stated that it is not necessary, while 13% indicated that they did not know or found it difficult to say;

For respondents, a transparent, multi-aged pine forest without undergrowth would be most acceptable in “Mežaparks” (average rating on a 7-point scale: 5.43). A relatively large proportion of respondents are also satisfied with a multi-aged pine forest with individual patches of undergrowth and bilberry bushes (4.77) and an even-aged pine forest with individual patches of undergrowth (4.75). A relatively smaller proportion of respondents would like a multi-aged pine forest with individual patches of undergrowth (4.03), a transparent even-aged pine forest without undergrowth (3.66), and a multi-aged pine forest with a dense undergrowth layer (3.25). The least pleasing landscape for “Mežaparks” is an even-aged pine forest with a dense undergrowth layer;

When characterising the improvements needed specifically in the “Mežaparks” forest, the majority of respondents would like to see diseased/hazardous trees felled (76%). A relatively smaller proportion of respondents indicated that legacy trees should be uncovered (39%), the forest should be made more transparent and therefore safer (32%), and tree and shrub species uncharacteristic of a pine forest should be removed. 5% of respondents stated that nothing needs to be done.

Similarly, the maintenance and felling of hazardous trees along the edges of paths and tracks, where visitors are more frequently present, is an ongoing process in “Mežaparks”. Hazardous trees are also regularly managed in other territories under the company's supervision in the capital.

The work in “Mežaparks” is also important because a large portion of the events for the XXVII Latvian Song and XVII Dance Festival will take place there in July. Consequently, it is essential that the areas where festival participants and visitors will be staying are as free as possible from hazardous trees, safe, and aesthetically attractive.