About us | Latvian Forest Owners' Association

Latvian Forest Owners' Association (LFOA)

The Latvian Forest Owners Association (LMIB) is a non-governmental organisation. One of the Association’s core principles is openness - any forest owner may contact the Association, review its founding documents, and, if they support the principles set out therein, submit an application and become a member of the Forest Owners Association.

LMIB’s objective

To promote the development of sustainable and economically efficient forestry in Latvia; therefore, the Association represents the interests of forest owners.

1 Facts
2 Main Areas of Activity
3 Representation
4 Structure and Governance

1 Facts

Facts and Figures

The Latvian Forest Owners Association was established in September 2005. Over the years, LMIB has become the leading representative of forest owners’ interests.
During this time, LMIB has brought together more than 450 members from across Latvia and remains open to any forest owner who supports the principles set out in the Association’s statutes.
Forests owned or legally managed by LMIB members cover 2.02 million hectares, representing 67% of Latvia’s total forest area (forest stand area excluding agricultural land meeting forest criteria, according to NFI Cycle 4 data).
Proportionally, the majority of owners are private forest owners (72.3%), followed by companies (23.7%), forest owner cooperatives and associations (2.1%), cities, municipalities and churches (1.0%), other associations and foundations (0.4%), research institutions (0.4%), and state forests (0.2%).

2 Main Areas of Activity

Main Areas of Activity

The Latvian Forest Owners Association has several objectives and carries out various activities to ensure that the interests of forest owners are respected in forest management:

promotes the development of sustainable and economically efficient forestry in Latvia;
supports the development of fair business practices in the forestry sector;
advocates for the review and improvement of regulations that hinder forest owners from making economically justified management decisions, and for simplifying permitting procedures in forestry, including forest establishment;
coordinates the legal representation of forest owners’ interests in various institutions, builds dialogue and represents members’ views in discussions with the state, other institutions, and forestry stakeholder groups;
participates in working groups on forestry support measures financed under national and EU programmes;
advocates for a compensation system ensuring that forest owners receive market-based, economically justified compensation for restrictions on economic activity;
promotes the improvement of forest owners’ competence and knowledge on forestry, legal, and economic issues, and informs the public about members’ positions on matters related to the Association’s activities in Latvia and abroad;
supports the introduction of modern and efficient technologies in forestry.

3 Representation

Representation

The Latvian Forest Owners Association is actively involved in the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF), where the Association’s representative has also been elected as a member of the CEPF Board. The Association is also a member of the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO) and the International Family Forestry Alliance (IFFA).

To promote the development of the forestry sector, facilitate information exchange, and ensure active representation of its members’ interests in Latvia, the Association is a member of the Latvian governing group of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and participates in several national bodies, including: