Environment
In Rīga, on Raunas Street, a shocking scene has unfolded before the eyes of residents – although the municipality's regulations say that no more than 20% of a tree's crown can be cut, only the trunks of 12 beautiful linden trees remain. The City Council has turned to the municipal police, Latvian Television's 4. studija reports on March 14.
A new environmental object in the center of Latvia's northeast town Gulbene attracts the attention of passers-by: a container nursery where you can watch young pine trees grow. The idea was born of local company Carbon Less Future Ltd and has been supported by the local municipality, Latvian Radio reported March 13.
Large-scale construction works on the protective embankment on the right bank of the River Bārta in south-west Latvia are planned this year, which will be implemented with the support of the European Union (EU) Recovery Fund. The total cost of the project to prevent flooding in the future is nearly 5 million euros, reports Latvian Radio.
Forest owners are being reminded that the serious threat posed by the eight-toothed bark beetle remains very real and restrictions will be in place to prevent felling of spruce trees during the summer months to help combat the spread of the voracious pest.
On Sunday, a young man suffered a head injury at a Rīga municipal mini-football field. Part of the goal detached from the structure and hit the youngster in the head. This isolated case marks one of the problems in Rīga municipality – there are many unsafe sports and recreation areas in Rīga, and the issue is rarely addressed, Latvian Television reported Monday.
Ventspils Municipality Council decided not long before the new year to sell a forest in Pope civil parish Dumbrāji for felling despite the fact that specially protected species are located here, as well as habitats of European Union importance, reports the Latvian Television broadcast De Facto on March 3.
As of March 1 in Rīga it is mandatory to install biodegradable waste sorting containers near apartment buildings. So far, this has been partly satisfactory, with around 2,000 organic waste containers installed and another 5,000 needed. They will be introduced in the coming months, Latvian Radio reported.
Winter is not an obstacle for the average Latvian to go mushrooming (although it might be starting to look like spring). In snowless patches in the forests, you can sometimes see a reddish cup-like formation. What you see is the scarlet elfcup (Sarcoscypha austriaca), says biologist Ilmārs Tīrmanis.
February is the quietest month in tourism, but for several weeks now, many people have been making their way to Kuldīga, where an observation tower overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town and the Venta Valley is open to the public. The tower has an unusual appearance - it is leaning, Skrunda Television reports.