| Forest Resources
The Dominant Coniferous Trees
Forests cover 3.6 million hectares of Latvia’s territory. The area covered by forests varies throughout the country — from approximately 30% in Dobele, Jelgava, Preiïi and Rçzekne districts to more than 60% in Ventspils District. State-owned forests take up 50%, privately owned forests 43% and forests of other ownership take up 7% of the total area.
The LVM administrates and manages 1.62 million hectares of the land of the Republic of Latvia. Forests cover 1.59 million hectares of it. The dominant trees in the forests managed by the LVM are coniferous and they take up 68 % of the territory (47% pine and 21% spruce). The rest of the territory is covered by deciduous stands, mostly of birch (24.1%), aspen (2.7%) and common alder (2.5%). There are small stands of hardwood trees (oaks, ashes) and grey alder.
The forest that is managed by the LVM can be divided into pure stands and mixed stands. The major tree species in a pure stand constitute 80% or more of stock volume of a stand. Distribution of trees in mixed stands may differ. The most common pure stands in the LVM forests are pine stands (74%), grey alder stands (57%) and spruce stands (53%). Stands of deciduous trees are far more mixed.
Species Age Class Distribution Has Been Affected by Spruce Plantations
Sustainable management of forest resources and development of new stands are based on forest age class distribution by tree species. Age class distribution in the LVM forests is relatively uneven. There are relatively large areas of pine, which are 40 years old or older, but spruce dominates in younger forests.
The proportion of young stands of birch is relatively small and that can be explained by the opinion predominating in the Soviet Union time — there will be no demand for hardwoods.
Although there is a marked difference between the areas covered by young stands of spruce and stands of birch at present, the LVM plans to reduce this disproportion both by afforestation of birch on the land not used for agriculture and by investing in thinning of naturally regenerated deciduous stands. Thus, birch as a quick-growing tree species will reach the necessary dimension of the required assortment faster than coniferous trees. The way how to increase the proportion of young pine stands is even more complicated problem, which the LVM intends to solve by planting pines in felling areas of the appropriate forest types.
Dry Site Forests Prevail
Forest management in a final felling is regulated by the Law on Forests and Cabinet Regulations on tree felling on woodland that are binding upon every person who manages forest. These documents are based on the growth conditions of a stand that are characterised by forest types and the site indices that are closely related to the former. According to types of growth conditions forests fall into five groups.
Forests on natural sites:
- dry sites
- wet mineral soils
- wet peaty soils
- Forests on drained soils:
- drained mineral soils (peat-layer < 20 cm)
- drained peaty soils (peat-layer > 20 cm)
Dry sites prevail in the forests managed by the LVM, in such a way making the basis of the LVM activities. These forests are characterised by good ground and wind resistance, and forest management practices and tending performed in these forests are the most effective.
Wet mineral soils take up 12%, wet peaty soils 11% of the total forest area. A great deal of biological diversity of Latvia’s forests is found in these forests. Drained forests (forests on drained mineral soils and drained peaty soils) occupy 22% of the LVM area. The productivity of these forests has increased 2 to 2.5 times in comparison with the forests on excessively wet mineral and peaty soils before drainage.
Productivity of Forest Stands is Characterised by Standing Volume
The productivity of forest stands is characterised by standing volume that can be acquired as a result of well-considered forest management per hectare in the stands that have reached the felling age. In all felling sites sold by the LVM average standing volume substantially exceeds 200 m³/ha, in the felling sites of aspen that unfortunately due to rot cannot provide a qualitative assortment the volume is even 300 m³/ha.
In order to increase standing volume in the future the LVM plans to increase tending of young stands with the purpose of establishing composition of tree species suitable for the growth conditions and selection of ‘future trees’. The LVM has developed strict quality requirements for major forestry operations including thinning. The requirements are binding both upon the LVM and its co-operation partners.
|
