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The research aims to examine the pace of growth of lodgepole pine, the amount of damage caused by biungulates and the quality of trunks for lodgepole pine provenances growing in the western part of Latvia in the areas around Ugale and Kuldiga, identifying the most damage-resistant and promising provenances for cultivation in Latvia. In Latvia, foresters and plant breeders have been working for years to increase the quality and productivity of local tree species, while assessing various forest stand management patt...

The research aims to identify changes in the biometric measurements and demographic structure of game ducks living on Lake Engure. Game management in Latvia as well as the entire Northern Europe is an important segment of the economy, which has rich and ancient traditions. Although a small segment of society perceives game management as the killing of animals, which is not the case, it should be understood that it represents an economic activity resulting in limiting the animal population, which can increase rapid...

Today about 10% of Latvia's territory is occupied by peatlands (645,100 ha), but the extraction of peat happens in only 4% (25,739 ha) of the total. In regulatory documents peat bogs are mentioned as having a very high probability of flammability (in the context of climate change and other natural elements: drought, heat, lightning and deliberate or unintentional human activity). This indicates the need to improve fire safety by conducting research and improving regulatory frameworks. The aim of the study was to a...

One of the long-term goals of the certification systems (FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)) of sustainably managed forests that provide both social, environmental, and economic benefits is to completely phase out the use of chemical pesticides to protect planting material. It is in the interest of both nurseries and forest owners to find successful alternative, environmentally friendly solutions to safeguard pine saplings against Curculionidae. The stud...

Flow of water and thus access of oxygen to the roots of the trees is ensured by drainage system. Therefore these system had been established, mostly since 1960th and 70th in a third of the forest area of Latvia. It has boosted the overall increment of forests substantially. However, around the same time, also beavers had been reintroduced in territory of our country. Water flow is often stopped by beaver dams. The aim of our case study was to assess the impact of dam removal and ditch reconstruction on the increme...

The planted forest stands of pedunculate oak (Quercus roburL.) were carefully cultivated in Latvia for wood harvesting since the end of the 19th century. Today, felling of Q. robur forest stands in Latvia is prohibited, and according to the nature conservation rules are included in the list of habitats of European interest 9160*. According to the State Forest Service [14], the share of oak stands in all forests in Latvia is 0.1% (9354.58 ha). During their lives, oak forest stands are threatened by various risk fac...

Wind is by far the most important natural disturbance, shaping the forest composition and age structure in Europe. Birch (Betula spp.) is among the wind-resistant species, especially during the season of extra-tropical cyclone storms, when it typically is in leaf-less state. However, predicted shifts in the frequency and seasonality of storms will affect also this species, therefore modelling of its wind resistance is important. For this purpose, among others, data on wood properties are essential. Typically such ...

Naturally regenerated birch (Betula spp.) stands, to a large extent formed on abandoned agricultural lands, is a notable part of the privately owned forests in Latvia. Birch is fast growing and less frequently affected by abiotic and biotic factors (like dendrophagous insects, cervids, drought) than other main commercial tree species in Latvia. However, wind storms, predicted to increase in frequency in future, is an important risk in birch stands. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the snapping height ...

The development of rural areas is important for the economy of any country. In Latvia, the development of rural areas depends on economic growth in the key industries for the rural areas ? agriculture and forestry. Accordingly, it is important to use the various support instruments of the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for rural development, which include financial support not only for agriculture but also for forestry. Therefore, the overall aim of the present research is to assess the use o...

Birch, primarily silver birch, is used in afforestation of marginal agricultural lands. Natural regeneration on fertile soils most of the cases happens with birch, if no specific management is applied. Therefore share of birch is increasing in hemiboreal forests Previously, target species of forest management had been coniferous trees. Thus the information on the growth and revenue from birch plantations is limited. Moreover, there the minimums density is set to 2000 trees ha-1 in regeneration and 800 trees ha-1 i...

The research aim is to identify the growth pace, productivity and quality of Scots pine in age classes I-IX in the forest type Callunoso-sphagnosa. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), which occupies 35% of the total forest area, is the most significant tree species in Latvia from the forestry perspective, yet the growth pace, productivity and quality of the species in the forest type Callunoso-sphagnosa have been little researched. The forest type Callunoso-sphagnosa is rarely found in Latvia; it is poor in nutrient...

Population densities of cervids (moose, red deer, roe deer) are increasing sharply and consistently in Latvia since middle of 1990th, causing more damages in young forest stands. It is a result of changes in farming practices well as game-management strategies by hunting clubs. Many hunting clubs tend to keep or increase the population densities of cervids with different methods, including supplemental feeding. The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of the proximity of supplemental feeding sites on browsin...

The aim of the study is to characterise the provenances of lodgepole pine ? a potential alternative to Scots pine in sandy soils ? and to recommend the most suitable ones for establishment of plantations in hemiboreal forests in Latvia. To achieve it, data on tree parameters (height, breast height diameter, quality traits, damage by cervids) from provenances originating from North America (53?-61?N, 118?-135?W) were collected in trial in central part of Latvia. The data were processed employing parametric methods....

Forest plays a multifaceted role, which is determined by its economic, ecological and social values; therefore, sustainable forestry development has to ensure a balanced use of all the values. For the first time in Latvia, the situation in hunting management was analysed, assessing the level of safety and traumatism. The research aim is to assess safety in the process of hunting and the real situation in Latvia. The research found that the most dangerous kinds of hunting were hound hunting and waterbird hunting du...

Silver birch is economically important tree species in Latvia. Currently most of clearcuts in stands of this tree species are regenerated naturally, however, there is an increasing demand of birch plants. Around 5 mil. plants are produced in Latvia annualy, exceeding the amounts in other countries in the region. With a goal to intensity the forest management, while propagating only the best genotypes and reducing initial spacing in order to ensure large radial increment, recently testing of vegetatively propagated...

The research aim is to estimate the profit a forest owner can earn per full forest rotation cycle from forest stands of dominant coniferous species in Latvia, selling both the assortment of logs and biomass (BM) from final felling. The research analysed the situation in privately managed forests, composed of the coniferous species пїЅ Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and Scots pine (Pinus syllvestris L.) пїЅ in different forest types in Latvia. The calculation of revenue from forest product sales took into account b...

The research aim is to identify a financial gain a forest owner can make from the management of a deciduous forest stand in Latvia provided that the stand is logged at the final (clear) felling age and the revenue is earned selling the wood as roundwood assortments and residue biomass or only as biomass (BM). The present research analysed the situation with forests owned by natural persons of the Republic of Latvia and identified the amounts of revenue a forest owner can earn growing deciduous пїЅ birch, black ald...