Damage to forest stands
1. Contact
Responsible agency
Unit
Contact person
Position
Email (agency)
Phone
2. Statistical presentation
Data description
The State Forest Service monitors the health status of forests in all forests of Latvia, ensuring forest management in such a way that the health status of forest stands would not deteriorate and possible diseases and pest invasion would be detected in a timely manner.
Every year in forests of Latvia, due to various factors, part of the forest stand area completely or partially loses its growth potential, as a result of which it is irreversibly damaged and gets cut down after receiving a sanitary opinion. Every year in Latvia, damage to forest stands is found in the total area of approximately 1000-1500 ha. The most common causes of damage to forest areas are windfall and excessive humidity, pests and diseases.
The data provide information on irreversibly damaged forest stands (ha) and the volume felled as a result of this damage (m3) in all forests - state forests and other forests following such classification: by statistical regions, planning regions and by type of damage to a forest.
Statistical concepts and definitions
Statistical unit
Amount of forest stands lost and felled in the territory of the Republic of Latvia as a result of irreversable damage.
Statistical population
Geographical coverage - the territory of Latvia.
3. Institutional mandate
Legal acts and other agreements
Law on Forests of 24 February 2000;
- Cabinet Regulation No 384 Regulations Regarding Forest Inventory and Circulation of Information of the State Forest Register of 21 June 2016.
4. Accessibility and clarity
On-line database
5. Comparability
Comparability - geographical
N/A
Length of comparable time series
Due to the implementation of the administrative-territorial reform in 2020, data from 2021 onwards are not comparable with previous periods. Therefore, the data where a break in the time series occurred are stored in two tables - pre-reform and post-reform.
Data are available as of 2013.
6. Coherence
Coherence- cross domain
N/A
7. Statistical processing (data source etc.)
Source data
Data from submissions of forest owners and legal possessors for tree felling with the causes of forest damage, sanitary opinions, data from field surveys of the State Forest Service.
Data collection
The amount felled due to the damage is obtained from the reports on tree felling, where the amount felled in sanitary fellings is indicated. In accordance with Section 29, Paragraph two of the Forest Law, the forest owner or legal possessor is obliged to inform the State Forest Service by 1 February each year about the forestry activities performed in the previous calendar year, including the felling of trees. Data on the cause of the damage are obtained from applications for tree felling submitted by the forest owner or legal possessor or from data from field surveys of employees of the State Forest Service. The obtained data are registered in the state information system - the State Forest Register. In the process of compiling statistical information, the amount presented in the reports on tree felling is divided by types of damage.
Data on forest stands that have lost their ability to grow are obtained from the sanitary opinions compiled by the employees of the State Forest Service. Opinions shall be drawn up by means of an on-the-spot inspection. They record the damaged area and the cause of the damage. Sanitary opinions are registered in the state information system - the State Forest Register.
Data compilation
The collected data are compiled and selected from the state information system - the State Forest Register.