RIGA, Feb 17 (LETA) - Forests are the cornerstone of Latvia's bioeconomy, Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze (Greens/Farmers) said at a meeting with visiting experts from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday.

Krauze is pleased that OECD experts are familiarizing themselves with Latvia's timber industry and providing their assessment for more efficient development of the industry, the Agriculture Ministry informed LETA.

Effective adaptation of the timber industry to climate change, increasing productivity of forests and implementing principles of dynamic nature conservation are essential to maintain an economically sustainable environment for businesses and residents in the regions, said Krauze.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, OECD experts are visiting Latvia and meeting with Latvian forestry and timber industry experts February 16 to 20. The aim of the mission is to obtain in-depth information on the Latvian timber industry and related sectors. The experts are visiting Latvia under a contract signed between the Agriculture Ministry and the OECD Secretariat to conduct a study on resilience of the timber sector and its contribution to the bioeconomy.

The OECD experts will use information gathered in Latvia to prepare a comprehensive report on contribution of the timber industry to rural development.

The Agriculture Ministry says that, while in Latvia, the OECD experts will also visit the Forest Research Station in Kalsnava, learn more about training of timber industry specialists at Ogre Vocational School, assess technology used by plywood maker Latvijas Finieris, and meet with representatives of other ministries and institutions.