Aizkraukle municipality to allow free collection of logging residue

The Aizkraukle municipality will soon allow local residents to collect leftover logging material from its own clear-cut forest areas free of charge, provided they first obtain a permit, according to information published on the municipality's website.

Once logging operations are finished, the municipality will post details on its site, aizkraukle.lv, about which plots have residue available for collection, including the location, the estimated quantity available, and the application deadline.

Who can apply

Permits will be open to any adult who is officially registered as living in the Aizkraukle municipality and intends to use the wood for their own household. Applications can be submitted at customer service centers, sent by mail, signed with a secure electronic signature, or filed via the state e-address system.

Decisions on granting or refusing permits will be made by the relevant local official: the municipality's executive director for Aizkraukle town and its rural territory, the head of the Skrīveri parish administration for Skrīveri, and the heads of the respective association administrations elsewhere. If several people apply for residue from the same plot, priority will go to households that include a person with a disability, large families with many children, and households classified as poor or low-income.

Environmental rules

To protect the forest environment, it will be forbidden to collect ecologically valuable standing dead trees, broken trees, stumps, and fallen trees with a diameter greater than 25 centimeters. Collected wood must be cut into pieces no longer than one meter. Permit holders may not damage growing trees, young forest stands, forest infrastructure, or land-reclamation structures, and they must not leave household waste or other items at the site after collecting the residue.

People collecting the wood will also need to follow occupational safety requirements and use appropriate protective gear, including safety footwear, gloves, and work clothing. The municipality will retain the right to revoke a permit if the holder fails to meet the set requirements, provides false information, or if collecting residue in a given area is no longer deemed safe or permissible.