1. What forest owners can expect from outside
The 2nd Baltic private forestry expert level meeting
Sagadi, Estonia

2. Active processes which can influence forest owners
Renewable energy directive
LULUCF
Low Carbon Emission Development Strategy
Climate and energy plan

3. Renewable energy directive
European Council agreed on quite harmless version of renewable energy directive and then came the ideas from the Parliament … Latvia abstained from voting on the compromise proposal. We used opportunity to share concerns on the additional sustainability criteria for biomass harvesting that could create additional administrative burden. We also expressed our view that the forestry policy should be kept as the national competence. Nevertheless we believe that the agreed compromise will not disturb life of forest owners much – existing regulations should be used as much as possible for proving sustainability.

4. LULUCF regulation
GHG emissions in forest land (kt CO2 eq.) by source and sink categories
Innitial FMRL value  Gg CO2 eq.
In 2017 FMRL recalculated (data series updated) preliminary value FMRLcorr Gg CO2 eq.

5. LULUCF regulation – calculation of new Forest Reference Level
Until the end of November Forest Research Institute «Silava» is working on the new Forest Reference Level and on the forest management accounting plan.
National model for forest management is under development. Three scenarios are foreseen:
Business as usual;
Sustainability scenario;
Scenario with even aged forest structure.

6. Draft Low Carbon Emission Development Strategy
Strategy's goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 80% by the year 2050 compared to 1990 and increase carbon sequestration, fully covering the anthropogenic GHG emissions of the country and achieving carbon neutrality. Three steps are foreseen: 1) By 2030, it is necessary to ensure that the volume of Gross Domestic Product (hereinafter - GDP) of Latvia is decoupled from GHG emissions: 2) By 2040, carbon neutrality must be achieved, ensuring that Latvia's GHG emissions are equal to the CO2 removals. 3) The reduction of Latvia's GHG emissions by 2050 should be continued, ensuring that Latvia's GHG emissions in the year 2050 are 80% less than in 1990.

7. National Climate and Energy plan
Arising from the regulation on the Governance of Energy Union. The plan is under development – the schedule is very tight. Deals with decarbonization, renewable energy issues, energy efficiency, energy independency. Institute of Physical Energetics works on modeling.

8. Thank you for your attention!
Normunds Struve
Forest Department