Conference "Knowledge-based forest sector"

Society stands for choice: need to protect nature, need diversity, need climate neutrality, which the EU has committed to. 250 thousand hectares are planned to be removed from the active economic movement, but this kind of decision must be balanced so that the remaining forests in which the economic movement is carried out can provide better quality, sustainable and more efficient forest farming for those 10 thousand workers in the sector and their families. The nature-protected decisions must be considered, with an economic component rather than emotion-driven.

During the conference there was an opportunity to learn about wood pests, their prevalence and how to fight them. Mascarde: This is what we will see in our forests after decades, because it will be planted to reduce the spread of pests, but it can encourage the emergence of new pests, which are not currently explored and unknown, the consequences of perhaps replacing plant varieties with others. So scientists will continue to analyze the impact of the new species on soil and the emergence of new pests. But unfortunately, the destruction of new pests is not possible in principle. Risks can be mitigated by organising plant quarantine days (as in New Zealand where war technique was kept in a long-term hangar to avoid introducing pests that could affect island plants, animals), but climate is the only one that can become a real barrier. Climate change changes the behaviour of pest-species.

The main theme of the conference was about co2, or how wood could create co2 neutrality. The public must understand that a directly growing forest creates this neutrality, a stillborn or dry, damaged tree does not produce oxygen, and after studies, 30-80-year-old trees are the most effective to create neutrality.

Wood comes from the woods, it's what provides modern public answers that are a renewable resource. We talk a lot about these topics. The tree is the supply of an alternative fossil resource. Fossil resources will end once, but wood is a source of oxygen that we can manage effectively.

Forest care, renewal, maintenance and recovery of amelioration systems: forest-friendly measures that encourage and improve forest growth, thereby also increasing the amount of oxygen produced. By ensuring sustainable forest management, we provide endless carbon accumulation as new trees replace harvested ones. In young stands, trees grow quickly, attract more CO2 and use it to grow, old trees grow slowly, leading to less CO2. One cubic meter of wood collects a ton of harmful carbon dioxide gas during growth and releases 0.7 tons of oxygen.

As trees grow older and narrow, oxygen production is also reduced, so we are trying to work to replace old trees in a timely manner and remove relatively old trees. Well-managed forests are also timely felled forests, since only the timely release of old trees that, moreover, consume less CO2 can prepare soil for young stands that are much more effective in collecting CO2. It must be mentioned here that specialists estimate that removing large amounts of biomass, i.e. lifting strains, does not have a lasting effect on soil carbon stocks in the long term. But recycling of wood residues, or waste, is particularly important for both the creation of added value and the promotion of co2 neutrality through the use of wood waste as biofuels. The company "Latvijas Finieris" and "Ekju" presented an excellent example of how to work in a smart, efficient and natural friendly way.

CO2 neutrality was greatly complemented by the architects' presentation of the planned office building Kr. In Valdemar Street, which will be based on wood. It will be 100% renewable energy, which is a major success in the construction sector in Latvia. Large-scale building projects from wood already in the world, which are challenges for architects and worthy of construction admiration, but co2 neutrality and pollution reduction contribute to the use of wood in industries where it was previously unthinkable, but it is now increasingly thought of replacing wood with materials and products that cause pollution and accumulate it in the long term, affecting global warming. It is global warming that causes the scientists to worry the most, since it is already calculated that the temperature will rise by +4 degrees over the next 100 years, and will contribute to the melting of glaciers by 40% over the next 50 years, which will in turn bring others to their preys. It is clear that there is a great deal of trouble with which the EU is already struggling to develop plans for various environmental protection and co2 neutrality measures.

The forest sector is one of the key sectors of bioeconomy, influencing the overall performance of the country in achieving the goals in bioeconomy, circular economy, environmental protection, economic sustainability, climate and social areas.