Young tree cutting back on Saeima's agenda

The ZZS have proposed that trees even 20 to 30 years younger than currently permitted could be legally felled in Latvia.

The motion to refer the amendments to the Forest Law to the Saeima committees was approved by 34 deputies, with 40 voting against, two abstaining, and 14 deputies not voting.

As reported at the time, in 2022, the first government of Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) supported changes to the rules on felling trees proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture, essentially allowing younger forests to be felled. In 2024, the Constitutional Court overturned this decision and cancelled the permit.

"The people of Latvia hold nature in high regard and respect it. These amendments run counter to the interests of the majority of society. A good, far-sighted steward does not look only at today’s gains. He asks: what will we leave for the future, for society, for future generations, and for the sector itself? And this bill does not answer that question," explained Saeima Deputy Jana Simanovska (Progressives) from the Saeima podium regarding the reasons for her "against" vote.

The Saeima majority decided not to forward the amendments to the committees. The ZZS coalition partners voted against it. Opposition MPs voted individually, with the exception of the “Latvia First” (LPV) faction, which did not vote at all. The ZZS had pinned its hopes on them.

It is understood that the ZZS will attempt to resubmit the bill to the Saeima.

No long-term plan for the sector

How lowering the cutting age would affect the volume of timber harvested and the future of the forest ecosystem as a whole has been pushed to the back burner or even further. No sufficiently concrete visions or scenarios for the future can be found in the Guidelines for the Development of the Forestry and Related Sectors for 2026–2050, the draft of which has been published on the Ministry of Agriculture’s website.

"This isn’t a real plan; it’s just a collection of ideas and wishes with no connection to goals, no analysis of the current state of forest management, and therefore no concrete actions to improve the situation. In other words, it’s just a piece of paper that exists merely for the sake of having it," says Viesturs Ķerus, chairman of the board of the Latvian Ornithological Society.

The Latvian Forest Owners’ Association (LMĪB) considers the guidelines plan significant, but it also believes the document lacks specificity. "We would definitely like it to be as specific as possible, so that when there are discussions about changes to certain regulations, we can refer to and review these guidelines. (..) Once we see what comes out of this public consultation, then we will also be able to say whether it is merely declarative or not – please, draft precise regulations and proposals and include them in this guidelines document," says Arnis Muižnieks, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (LMĪB).

Daiga Vilkaste, Director of the Nature Conservation Department at the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development, comments on the prepared document with considerable restraint. "It’s difficult to comment on what’s missing, because we believe it needs to be completely reworked. There is no assessment of the situation from which everything else could follow; it is not a scientifically grounded assessment; there are no scientific facts on which to base the entire subsequent process.

"There are no specific goals, no actions, no monitoring to evaluate these actions, and perhaps an incorrect interpretation of certain nature conservation issues. Nor are the sector’s challenges outlined – whether regarding export issues, socioeconomic assessments, or nature-related matters,"  says Vilkaste.