Forest property “Gaiļi” in Iecava parish advances to second round of “Sakoptākais mežs” contest
The forest property “Gaiļi” in Iecava parish, Bauska municipality, will be assessed on Tuesday in the second round of the “Sakoptākais mežs 2026” contest. Twelve forest properties were submitted this year.
On Tuesday, 4 August, the jury of the “Sakoptākais mežs 2026” contest is set to visit Bauska municipality to inspect Andrejs Lasmanis’s forest property “Gaiļi” in Iecava parish. The information was provided by Ena Enia Gavare, project manager of the contest organised by the Latvian Forest Owners’ Association.
A total of 12 forest properties from various Latvian regions were submitted to the contest this year. After reviewing the applications, the jury moved to the second stage, which involves on-site visits. During the first trip last week, three properties in Madona and Ogre municipalities were assessed. In Ranka parish, the jury saw Ieva Grīnšteine’s “Lazdupi”, a property of more than 10 hectares; its owner turned to forestry after 43 years in medicine. In Taurupe parish, Aleksandrs Latkovskis’s 25.8-hectare “Žubītes” was visited — he tends the forest every day. In Madliena parish, the jury examined the 36.28-hectare “Lazdiņas” inherited by Ginta Ferbere.
During the next trip, experts will visit three properties in Dobele, Bauska and Ogre municipalities. In addition to “Gaiļi”, they will assess Pāvels Kotāns’s “Kotāni” in Birzgale parish and Artūrs Grudovskis’s “Ziemeļi” in Vītiņi parish.
After the first outing, the jury said each owner offered lessons worth learning. Grīnšteine was praised for maintaining property borders and boundary marks, Latkovskis for professional management of forest established on overgrown farmland, and Ferbere, who lives abroad, showed that sustainable management can be carried out from a distance.
