Project Title	Training seminar ‘Inventory of key forest biotopes’
Project Duration	2001
Participants	Latvian Fund for Nature
Funding	State Joint-Stock Company Latvia’s State Forests
Project Area
Co-ordinator	Viesturs Lārmanis
Contact
Telephone	7034894
Fax	7830291
E-mail	larmanis@lanet.lv
Address	Rīga, Kronvalda Bulvāris 4
	LV-1010, Latvia

 

In 2001, on 20 March, 26–30 March and 23–27 April, as a subproject of the ‘Forest’ project, a training seminar ‘Inventory of key forest biotopes’ was held. This seminar was organised on the initiative of the State Joint-Stock Company Latvia’s State Forests in order to train young specialists in searching for and recognising key forest biotopes.

Key forest biotopes are forest stands where a range of features characteristic of forest undisturbed by economic activities are preserved to such a degree suitable conditions are present for particular species that would disappear if the stand were to be subjected to traditional forestry practices. The range of features characteristic of undisturbed forest includes forest elements such as old and dead trees, naturally-formed stand spatial structure etc., as well as indicator species that provide evidence of undisturbed natural processes in the stand over a long period of time, or indicate suitable conditions for particularly endangered species.

Identification of key forest biotopes was begun in the early 90s in Sweden as one of the ways of conserving forest biodiversity. In Latvia this process began in 1997–1998 in the frame of a joint Latvian–Swedish project, through the cooperation of the Swedish Östra Götaland Forest Authority and the Latvian State Forestry Service. Since 2000, the LDF has participated in the organisation of training in key forest biotope inventory work.

Training in the field of inventory work lasts two weeks. During this time, activities are mainly conducted in the field: in the forest, where the trainees learn to evaluate various stands in relation to the criteria for key forest biotopes. The training course also includes instruction in forest ecology, both in parallel with work on site in the forest and in the form of lectures each evening of the seminar.

In 2001, 40 people were trained in inventory work.