20 • 11 • 2015
Scholarship winners study and explore the forest
In order to acquire new and to refresh existing knowledge about forests and forest management, an educational seminar for this academic year's winners of the JSC “Latvian State Forests” (LVM) scholarships took place on November 19. As part of the seminar about “Forest resources and their management in Latvian state forests”, students not only gained academic understanding, but also became involved in practical activities in the forest.
After getting acquainted with safety instructions, students learned the basic principles of data storage on forests. Drawing and improving the map of Latvia, learning how to find and gather information, all this was presented by LVM Forest Data Storage Department Director Jānis Dzelzītis.
With their academic knowledge intact, students were invited to the forest to learn about it from a professional point of view, under the guidance of LVM senior forest expert Kaspars Riže. Students learned about the forest by attending lectures and asking many questions, also by participating in a number of practical chores: measuring tree height, basal area, and diameter, determining the age of a tree, and the quality level of plantation management.
According to the scholarship winners themselves, such lessons in nature ensure what cannot be provided in a classroom – learning about the forest while in a forest. This is definitely the best way to show people what is happening there, how they grow, how they are cultivated and taken care of.
This academic year, LVM issued scholarships to a total of 20 students from various Latvian universities. They are majoring in various fields such as environmental education and communication, natural protection, use of wood pulp, geographical information systems and logistics management, forest management, geological resource management. The scholarship was also issued to eight Ogre Technical School students, who are being educated and trained as forest machine operators and forest management technicians, as well as one promotional scholarship to a freshman who intends to become a forest management technician.
In order to help students learn all aspects of forestry, JSC "Latvian State Forests" has been organizing the said scholarship competition for several years already. The competition is open to students from various major programs at Latvian universities. Scholarships are also issued to students from Ogre Technical School. The aim is to increase the students' motivation to develop their skills and proficiency, attract specialists at LVM, increase student desire to improve the quality of their studies in fields related to LVM, and support scientific development.
