FORESTS IN LATVIA,    FORESTS IN EUROPE

According to the data of the Latvian National forest statistical inventory (NFI) the forests and overgrown agricultural lands, which conform to criteria of forest, occupy 3.22 million ha or 49.9 % of the territory of Latvia. The total area of the forest lands (land covered by forest, land under forest infrastructure facilities, as well as adjacent overflowing clearings, marshes and glades) are 3.49 million ha or 54.1 % of the territory of the state. In accordance with the aggregated information of Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO) Latvia is the fourth country in Europe (after the Finland, Sweden and Slovenia) with the largest proportion of land area covered by forests and other wooded lands.

In Latvia, forests are comparatively natural systems. Most of them are naturally regenerated forests however with clearly visible indications of human activities. The forests predominantly composed of trees established through planting and/or deliberate seeding make up 19 % of the total forest area (Country report of Latvia to FAO, 2010). The proportion of primary forests (forests of native tree species, in which there are no clearly visible indications of human activity and ecological processes are not significantly disturbed) is very small and they are mainly located in the strict and regulatory regime zones of Nature reserves and National parks.
In the context of forest growing conditions approximately half (49 %) of the forests of Latvia are located on dry mineral soils. However a comparatively large proportion of forests is also on drained soils – 33 %, from which 19 % are on drained mineral soils and 14 % on drained peat soils. The forests on wet mineral soils take up 10 % of the total forest area, but forests on wet peat soils - 8 % of the total forest area. Within the framework of these five types of forest growing conditions the twenty three forest ecosystem types or forest types are divided in the Latvia, describing their inner parameters (forest stand in the maturity stage, underbrush, ground cover, soil etc.). The divided forest types reflect the production ability of site and serve as base for right forest management. For its part, within the framework of one forest type, there can be several forest stand types in dependence on the dominant tree species.
The forests of Latvia are dominated by three tree species – Scots pine, Norway spruce and birch species (silver and downy birch); together they constitute 73.8 % of the total forest area (according to the data of NFI). The proportion of pine stands is 28.9 %, but the proportion of spruce and birch stands – 17.0 % and 27.9 %. The remaining forest areas are occupied by stands of black alder (5.1 %), grey alder (9.8 %), aspen (7.7 %), ash and oak (1.5 %), and other tree species (2 %). The coniferous stands in general occupy 46 % of the total forest area, but stands of deciduous trees – 54 %.

By the Central Europe vegetation classification system the forests of Latvia belong to five classes:
•  Boreal coniferous forests. A very broad class, which includes forests on dry and wet soils.
•  Dry subcontinental pine forests. Located only on the dry and sun exposed slopes and uplifts of relief, in the terraces of the valleys of large rivers.
•  Pine and birch bog forests. Forests on wet peat soils or mineral soils, which flora is congenial to bogs. 
•  Wetland alderwoods. The most frequent habitats are: floodplains at rivers and lakes, places of groundwater outflow and the vicinities of bogs and mires where there is tendency to paludification.
•  Broadleaved forests. The most frequently mixed oak, ash, elm and linden forest stands. These forests are confined to the river valleys, islands of lakes and old primary areas of broadleaved trees in Latvia.