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In 2021 there were approximately 227,360 ha of abandoned land in Latvia. Bauska district has very fertile soil and active farmers, but despite this, agricultural lands are being afforested. The aim of the research is to analyze and evaluate the reasons and results of afforestation of agricultural lands in Bauska district in order to assess under what afforestation conditions the forest is most successfully grown. Seven properties were afforested in 2019, with a total area of 23.48 ha. Each property was divided int...

The aim of the research is to find out how the forest ground vegetation changes in forest pasture where wild horses are allowed to graze, and what impact their grazing in the forest have on the vegetation and how the situation changes in a forest stand where animals are allowed to graze and, in a forest, stand of the same type without grazing. So far forest pastures practically have not been studied, but forest management using animals especially in private forestry is becoming more and more relevant. Almost no si...

Broadleaved forest distribution in Europe and in Latvia is relatively small. Small-leaved lime Tilia cordata Mill. stands are even rarer, so it is important to study and protect them, as well as to assess their biodiversity and future potential. The aim of research is to investigate and assess the vegetation in lime forest stands. In total, 12 plots have been established for long-term monitoring of lime stands. In the sample plots, the survey of growing trees, dead wood, the inventory of vegetation species and the...

It is well known that woodpeckers and their distribution is mostly affected by deadwood. However, in Latvia there have not been any studies about how other forest structural components like growing trees and vegetation can affect distribution of woodpeckers and their choice of habitats. In recent years estimation of ecosystem services has become popular in Latvia and it is used in nature conservation matters. The aim of the research was to analyse structures characterizing the habitats of broadleaf forests and ide...

The objects of study are Hylocomiosa forest site forests owned by government and managed by JSC -Latvia-s State Forests-. Research object is a part of forest protection zone around cities. In those protection zones clear-cut is forbidden by law. In order to promote forest growth and mitigate the negative effects of climate change, forests in protected zones also need to be properly managed. The aim of research is to evaluate regeneration success of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L after group selection felling in Hyl...

The forests of south-western part of Zemgale Plain in Latvia are characterized by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands on fertile, nutrient rich soils. The existing information about these sites suggests of the calcium carbonate rich loamy sand soils formed by moraine. The Scots pine stands in area of Tervete National Park reach age of 260 years. The oldest and biggest trees reach considerable dimensions – up to 70 cm in diameter and height of 47 m, thus exceeding the country's average indices. These are the ol...

The aim of the study is to carry out the management and economic evaluation of the Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L. forest stand in Mezaparks, Riga. The aim of the landscape selective cutting is to improve the resilience of mature stands, while increasing the visual attractiveness of the stand. Riga?s Mezaparks has been used for recreation and other social activities for long time. To continue serving social, ecological, economical and other interests of the city, it is important, especially for the urban forestry, ...

Intensification of forest management is required due to contrasting trends of growing demand to use renewable materials and boost carbon sequestration, while simultaneously decreasing area of managed forest. Additionally, increasing frequency of natural disturbances creates difficulties to ensure production of high-quality saw-logs. One of the strategies to overcome (or at least minimize) the negative impacts is establishment of low-density plantations, intended for relatively short rotation (c.a. 50 years). Aim o...

The shelterwood strip cutting is the main felling technique, where the stand is cut in shelterwood the width of which does not exceed the average tree height of the stand. The information obtained in the study reflects how the characteristic forest vegetation develops, depending on the location and orientation of the object, as well as the cleaning type of forest residues. The development of vegetation shows which type is the most efficient and in which the vegetation develops the fastest. Two North-South (N-S) an...

Importance of unmanaged forests for biodiversity aspects in unquestionable, while their role in climate change mitigation is still unclear due to the large heterogeneity of these forests in different bioclimatic regions; therefore, requiring data of biomass distribution for their inclusion in national and regional carbon reporting systems. The aim of our study was to assess the live biomass distribution and amount of dead wood in over-mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (K.) L.) ...

The aim of this study is to estimate the outcome of special cutting method developed for old pine stands in Riga?s forest park Mezaparks. Its topicality is defined by the increase in urban population, cities? areas, and green spaces there. The functions of cities? green areas are specific and it is very important to develop and evaluate special methods of forest management for urban forests. The research was carried out in the forest park Mezaparks, in a 183-year old Scots pine stand with an area of 4.32 ha, where...