RIGA, Sept 10 (LETA) - It is unacceptable to push through radical forest policy proposals without any public involvement and without an environmental impact assessment, the Progressives party said in response to Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze's (Greens/Farmers) proposal to lower the minimum felling age of trees.

As the political party informed LETA, the Agriculture Ministry should respect the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court, which invalidated the regulation permitting the felling of smaller-diameter trees in Latvia's forests. According to the party, the ruling clearly states that, in accordance with the Constitution, the principles of sustainability and precaution must be respected when such plans are promoted, and that a strategic environmental impact assessment must be carried out.

Consequently, the Agriculture Ministry's proposal to amend the Forest Law and allow the felling of younger forests without assessing its merits is, in the view of the Progressives, is unlawful, as it was being pushed through without an environmental impact assessment and deprives the public of the opportunity to express its views. "This is exacerbated by the fact that only three working days were given to discuss the amendments, which will affect half of Latvia's territory and landscape," the Progressives said.

The Progressives call on the agriculture minister to promote the ministry's proposals by preparing the Forest Policy Guidelines and the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment, as well as to "respect the norms of politeness in communication with the public and those expressing different opinions, apologizing for the insults expressed to civil society".

Andris Suvajevs, chairman of the Progressives faction in the Saeima, claims that for many years the Agriculture Ministry has been failing in its task of preserving nature's values and has been succumbing to the lobby's desire to "always cut more". "As a result, the stock of wood in Latvia's forests is already declining and forests have become a source of carbon emissions. These problems require a well-thought-out solution, not accusations," stresses Suvajevs.

The Progressives note that the law delegates to the Agriculture Ministry the responsibility and sufficient possibilities to introduce measures to protect forests from pests through forest protection regulations. To achieve this, it is not necessary to cut down more pest-free forests, the political party argues.

The Progressives reiterate that they will not support the Agriculture Ministry's proposals.

As reported, the Agriculture Ministry is proposing to reduce the age of felling for a number of tree species, including spruce, by 30 years - from 81 to 51 years, according to amendments to the Forest Law prepared by the ministry.

The main felling age for pine is to be reduced by 20 years from 101 to 81, for birch and alder by 20 years from 71 to 51 and for aspen by 10 years from 41 to 31.

At the same time, no change is planned for oak and larch, which will remain at 101 years, and ash, lime, elm, elm and maple, which will remain at 81 years.

If forests are managed in a sustainable manner, lowering the felling age will also benefit the state budget as increased logging volumes will boost revenue from Latvijas Valsts Mezi (Latvian State Forests) company, while the forestry and wood-processing industries will handle larger volumes of timber and contribute more in taxes, Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze (Greens/Farmers) said last week. Higher logging volumes would also create new jobs and stimulate economic growth, he said.

The amendments aim to reduce climate risks and increase carbon storage in long-lived wood products, reduce massive damage to mature stands caused by the spruce budworm and other risk factors, and improve wood quality and the proportion of high value-added products. The approach of the amendments is based on the findings of the Latvian State Forest Research Institute Silava and other European Union (EU) studies, and is in line with the practice of several EU countries, the ministry noted.

The Ministry notes that forest stands are felled too late, old trees lose their economic and ecological value - they no longer become value-added products, but firewood and wood chips.

Environmental organizations and the Progressives have voiced their opposition to the ministry's proposal.