The Forest Certification Council of Latvia's support for the draft law “Amendment to the Law on Forests” submitted to the Presidium of the Saeima

Forest Certification Council of Latvia | 31.03.2026

Our generation has known an independent Latvian state for 35 years now.

Independence as a feeling and our national symbols are one thing; patriotism in life and in thought complements the former; patriotism and conviction in one's work is one of the cornerstones of our country and its independence. The latter is much talked about, while in real life people often act quite the opposite.

Guided by the principles of sustainable forestry, Latvia's forest sector professionals have cared for and managed Latvia's forests to a high standard and sustainably, with future generations in mind. At the same time, it must be stressed that it is precisely Latvia's forest sector that has received, and continues to receive, a string of unfounded accusations rooted in 21st-century oral folklore (fancies, impressions, opinions, “heard somewhere”, “once saw it”, “you have to side with your own”), because the sector unmistakably cares about people and about Latvia's economy – that is, about the country's economic independence, which is unthinkable without local resources, a local workforce and local people's desire to work, live and do business here, in Latvia. This is especially clear, and painfully so, this spring, when almost every resident of Latvia, having weathered a harsh winter, is already thinking about the figures on the price tags in shops and at petrol stations.

Latvia's forest and wood-processing sector feels the effects of various ill-considered decisions on a regular basis. Since February 2022, the geopolitical situation in the world has changed a great many familiar things and circumstances, forcing Latvia's economy to assess its opportunities and resources quickly and clearly, in a short time and without needless delay, working out what matters, what can be used and what is better left undone.

In this connection we wish to stress one thing: at a time when Latvia's entrepreneurs are thinking and acting, other spheres display a deliberately obstructive, manipulative and – in the present situation – plainly anti-state mindset and inertia. What is more, the position of those people who call themselves activists on the question of Latvia's economic independence, the future of the national economy and regional development remains unclear. One can think narrowly and let that thought end in October 2026. October will come and go – what then?

While Latvia's entrepreneurs are thinking about what to do, there are people who call themselves activists and who think the opposite: how not to do it, how to restrict, how to harm, how to slow things down – and it must be stressed that all these activities are invariably cloaked in “good intentions”, in the name of mystique and democracy and of “commas”, while actively opposing entrepreneurs, Latvia's economy and our country's economic independence. Openly and unashamedly failing to notice the problems brewing in the country is the other harmful extreme. The absurdities – “they will cut everything down”, or “Latvia will become a desert”, or “the moment they get the chance, they will...” – continue, and more than one political force, ministry and government department has made itself comfortable in their shade. Those who deliberately keep these absurdities alive and come wailing at the doors of the media (1) ought to be put to work planting forest, sowing fields, or scaring birds and roe deer off farmers' sown fields.

We call on the Saeima and the Prime Minister to turn their attention without delay to what is happening in and around the forest and agriculture sectors, and not to allow our resources to be left to rot or go to waste, simply because obliging or ill-informed people want at any cost to stay on friendly terms with the reality-detached “green preachers” in the West, while their activities in effect support dictators in the East.

We wish to recall that the forest sector in Latvia is economically more significant (measured as a share of GDP) than in other European Union countries (2), which means that we are a good and striking example of bioeconomy development and that we must consider how to maintain and improve our position in the future as well.

Among the countries where the forest sector holds a high place in the economy, Latvia has one of the longest rotation cycles, which is not sustainable.

As the frequency of natural disturbances (storms) increases, we cannot expect stands to live as long in the future as they have – so it is vital, in good time (today and now), to ensure that the sector adapts to these changes.

For a person with common sense, the whole point of managing a property does not lead to the idea of destroying the very property that feeds and sustains them. The law should serve the public interest by restraining those who are not on friendly terms with common sense, but it must not become an obstacle to rational management or prevent flexible management that responds adequately to various risks, the likelihood of which is increasing, including because of the climate change already mentioned (3).