PRIVATE FOREST

MANAGEMENT IN LATVIA

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 Forest in Latvia
• In Latvia the total forest-covered area
is 2.9 mill.ha (45% of total territory of
Latvia)
•
Municipalities,
Forest owners: social

•
organizatons,
Latvian forest are pine dominated others
5%
(48% from total forest area), other State
most important species are birch
State Private sector
(24%), spruce (21%) Private sector 50%

•
45%
Municipalities, social
In 2004 the wood and wood products organizatons, others
accounted for 30% of the total export
value of Latvia
• Contribution to GDP is over 10% and
approximately 7% of the entire labour
forece is employed
• 500 000 ha of forest area is under
different kind (nature reserves,
woodland key habitats, costal areas)
and strength of nature protection
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 State and the private forest sector
There are 3 functions state fulfil concerning the private forest
sector:
•Legislative function (The Ministry of Agriculture)
•Controle and supervision function (State Forest Service)
•Supportive function – consultation and information (State
Forest Service) – starting year 2000

The main forest management goals are settled by Forest Policy,

developed and enforced year 1998.

Forest Policy general aim is sustainable management of forest

and forest lands.
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Private forest owners who own about 150 000 properties can be
divided in two big groups:

•Family forestries (comprise about 70% of owners):

Forest owners who take care of the forest and leave it as a

capital to their children
Forest owners who are interested mostly in economical
benefit of the forest

•“City owners” (own the forests only legally but practically they
do not use them as a constant source of income)

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 Private forest management in figures
• Year 2004 almost 30 000 hectares were renewed that exceeds the indices
of the previous year by 63%
• 50% of the forest owners mentions forest management as one of the farm
management ways
• 70% of all the forest owners states forest as managed
• ½ of the forest owners has managed forest border and firebreak cleaning
• 37% of the forest owners has performed timber cutting in their forests
• 25% of the forest owners has performed new forest tending
• 19% has performed reforestration in their ownerships
• Only 10% of forest owners invest income of the forest management in
the forest management itself

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 LATVIA FOREST OWNERS

Research made by State Forest Service to get

information about:

•forest owner’s social portret;

•forest management and utilisation tendencies in the private
sector;
•issues of interest for the private forest owner, the sources of
information and ways of improving knowledge, preferred and
actually used.
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Forest owners following the age bracket

other
1%

< 30 yrs.
8%
other
> 60 yrs. 30 - 40 yrs.
33% 17% < 30 yrs.
30 - 40 yrs.
40 - 50 yrs.
50 - 60 yrs.
40 - 50 yrs.
50 - 60 yrs. 23% > 60 yrs.
18%

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Forest owners following the holding size
bracket
20 - 30
5%
> 30
15 - 20 5%
7% <2
16%
10 - 15 > 30
11% <2
2-5
5 - 10
10 - 15
15 - 20
5 - 10 2-5 20 - 30
26% 30%

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Forest owners following the distance to the
holding

15 - 50 > 50
6% 5%
5 - 15
18% > 50
<1 <1
38% 1-5
5 - 15
15 - 50

1-5
33%

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Forest owners following the level of education

incomplete
higher primary
10% incomplete
16%
primary
primary primary
21%

secondary

secondary
higher
53%

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Evaluation of the aspects of forest utilisation
(by a 5-point scale)

Sence of property 4.1

Inheritance 4.1

Economic guarantees 2.6

Environment protection 3.2

Recreation 2.1

Berries, mushrooms 2.1

Fuelw ood 3.7

Additional income 2

0 1 2 3 4 5

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 State Forest Service – a service for the private forest
owner
• The SFS employees inform the forest owners regarding the demands of
legislative and regulatory acts and provide consultancy services in forest
management and utilisation. It is possible to get consultancy at the forest
district office or out in the field.
• The topical seminars organized by the forest districts is an opportunity for the
forest owners to acquire practical skills in planting and tending forest, get the
information on the recent changes in laws and regulations, and talk to
professional foresters.
• Forest educational trails laid out in many forest districts all over the country
are intended for forestry awareness raising among the forest owners,
schoolchildren, and the general public. Specially equipped sites along the
trails feature different processes under way in woodlands and the basics of
forest management.
• Starting with 2003, the regional forest district offices organize various
competitions to find out the most ingenious forest owners and advertise their
experience. The overall objective is to raise the forest management standards
in the private sector.
• The SFS employees are working out and publishing a variety of informational
materials for dissemination among the forest owners and managers. Preparing
topical features for TV is also practiced.
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 Certified forests (ha) (FSC (Forest Stewardship
Council) and PEFC (Programm for the Endorsement
of Forest certification schemes))

2000000
1685932
1500000
FSC
1000000 906257 PEFC
500000
264894
0 12803 20000 98580

2001 2002 2003 2004

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 The main problems in private forest
management:

• management problems – complicated birocracy system, a lot

of different institutions with unclearly defined tasks;
• finantial problems – forest management is not profitable
enough;
• technological problems – forest management needs special
equipment and technique;
• educatonal problems – lack of education and experience in
forest management;
•human factor – lack of iniciative and self-dependence in
making decisions

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 Active forest owner

There are two ways and means of attracting the

forest owner to be active in forest
management:
•Quantitative (financing, subsidies and tax
relief)
•Qualitative (education, information (press,
books, brochure), consultation and training)
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