It has been decided to announce the emergency to avoid the risk of disaster associated with the proliferation of an organism harmful to plants, the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, and to protect valuable fir forests.
The emergency order will take effect from April 1 and will be in force until June 30.
As reported earlier by LSM, in previous years, destruction of bark by the bug was estimated at 550 to 850 hectares, but in 2022 it increased several times, damaging approximately 2,300 hectares of spruce forest, especially in Vidzeme and Sēlija.
In light of these research data, the State Forest Service (VMD), together with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Nature Conservation Agency, and other experts discussed the intention of announcing a state of emergency in the forests of endangered areas.
Controlling the beetle is a matter of urgency, as it has also been known to move to pine trees when its population becomes very large. You can read more about its lifecycle at this site.
Already in 2020, a law was adopted regarding the Gauja National Park for the effective combating of the pest.
