“Two years ago, branches were left unchipped in the forests because there was a surplus of woodchips, whereas current economic conditions strongly incentivise forest owners to consider collecting branches. There are still very large biomass stocks at both the private property and state levels – branches, brushwood, and low-value trees that are not being used for either heat energy production or alternative fuel,” believes Mārcis Saklaurs, Head of Logging and Production at the “Mežsaimnieks” cooperative.