Annual Forestry Conference to take place in Salaspils on 26 November for forest owners
The Ministry of Agriculture and the LLKC Forest Advisory Service Centre will hold a forestry conference in Salaspils on 26 November. Forest owners will learn about regulatory changes, EU support and the sector's plans.
Forest owners and forestry sector representatives from across Latvia will gather at the Salaspils concert hall, Skolas iela 2, on 26 November 2026 for the annual Forestry Conference. They will discuss forest management issues, planned changes to legislation and European Union (EU) support options. The event is organised by the Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) together with the Forest Advisory Service Centre (MKPC) of the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre (LLKC). It starts at 10:00, with registration from 9:30, and the minister of agriculture will give the opening address.
Legislation and sector planning
Representatives of the ministry's Forest Department will present progress on the draft Forest and Related Sectors Development Guidelines for 2026–2050, the strategic environmental impact assessment, and proposals received during public consultation. They will also review this year's amendments to Cabinet regulations on tree felling and forest inventory.
EU support
A large part of the programme is devoted to EU support available to forest owners. A Rural Support Service representative will explain forestry support under the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan for 2023–2027, applications in 2026 and the support rounds planned for 2027. MKPC will present training options. The Forest Department will also introduce measures proposed for the 2028–2035 planning period, and participants will be invited to suggest changes to support conditions.
Other topics
Andis Purs, Director General of the State Forest Service, will cover issues relevant to private forest owners: the spread of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle in Latvia, the forecast and planned response for 2027, the e-services portal and the service's future work. The Deforestation Regulation and owners' duties in forest fire safety are also on the agenda. The Latvian Forest Owners' Association will outline its priorities and discuss compensation for economic restrictions in protected areas.
Architect Edijs Levins of the studio Levins Arhitekti will describe the reconstruction of the Salaspils concert hall and its timber structures. A private forest owner will share his experience, and participants will hear about European Innovation Partnership projects and the EU initiative "Three Billion Trees".
The conference will be moderated by LLKC project manager Aiva Saulīte-Liniņa and MKPC director Raimonds Bērmanis. Registration is online at mittoevents.com/mezsaimnieciba-2026; information is available by phone at 63050477.
