Krišs Melderis, a forester from the first period of independence, once said that forest soil is like human skin. When you start tearing it, it hurts. I plant with a standard spade. I used to have a cylindrical one, but you can't buy them anywhere now. It is also convenient to plant using a planting tube, provided you are using containerised seedlings.

I have been planting in both forests and meadows for more than ten years now. Every year, I plant about two hectares. I plant one tree every nine square metres. That works out to about a thousand seedlings per hectare. In the forest, you always have to battle with the number of trees. The law is written in a very interesting and, to me, incomprehensible way, stating that the total number of trees when planting spruce must be 2,000. What is meant by “total” number?

The question of how many trees to plant per hectare has been relevant to me for a long time, thirty years or so. When I was able to delve deeper into forestry matters, I asked a recognised expert, Juris Matīss, director of the Forest Inventory Institute. I asked why such a large number of trees has to be planted.