Dagnija Lazdina

Latvian State Forest Research Institute "Silava" · Forest regeneration and establishment, tree plantations, agroforestry

Key message We provide data on seedlot germination potential—a key trait related to regeneration—of 12 oak species. Germination was tested at the University of Granada following international protocols with 8985 acorns from 93 batches and 16 countries across Europe. Data on germination probability, acorn origin, mass, and moisture content measured...

Short-rotation forest plantations on former agricultural land capture CO2, provide bioeconomic materials, and mitigate climate change. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of the long-term effects of wood ash and wastewater sludge fertilization on various tree species (birch, hybrid aspen, grey alder, black alder, and hybrid alder) in shor...

Striving for climate neutrality and wider implementation of climate change mitigation measures including tree introduction in agricultural land, request for approaches and general allometric models for estimating carbon (C) stock in tree above-ground biomass (AGB) based on relatively easily obtainable remote sensing data is increasing. Here, we pre...

Tree logging significantly impacts environmental conditions, increases soil and air temperature, and changes the microclimate and soil hydrology. This contributes to the changes in bryophyte and vascular plant cover and species composition. Site preparation positively affects the growth of planted trees in young stands but also causes forest unders...

This study investigates the soil organic carbon (SOC) and whole tree biomass carbon (C), soil bulk density (BD) as well as changes in these parameters in afforested areas in Latvia. The study covered 24 research sites in afforested areas—juvenile forest stands dominated by Scots pine, Norway spruce and Silver birch. The initial measurements were co...

Willow (Salix) family is one of the fastest-growing woody energy crops. It·has been widely used for biomass energy production in short-rotation plantations, carbon storage in longer rotation, and as a phytoremediation plant in Northern Europe. Willows could be cultivated on a wide range of soils, including marginal land, and they are readily propag...

Forest fertilization and ash recycling experience in Latvia

In this study, the focus was on evaluating the effects of the initial treatment of wood ash and sewage sludge on hybrid alder clones’ aboveground biomass and elemental content. To measure the element concentrations in the tree rings, laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was utilized, which is a valuable tool for d...

In this study, we estimated the magnitude of soil-to-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes in deciduous tree and willow coppice based agroforestry systems in hemiboreal Latvia. We studied systems combining hybrid alder, hybrid aspen, silver birch, black alder, and willow clones with perennial reed canary gra...

Soil Fertility Improvement with Mixtures of Wood Ash and Biogas Digestates Enhances Leaf Photosynthesis and Extends the Growth Period for Deciduous Trees. Abstract: In the context of climate change, it is necessary to establish forest management by balancing more products, using less area, and minimizing environmental impacts. The use of different...

Tree logging significantly impacts environmental conditions, increases soil and air temperature, and changes the microclimate and soil hydrology. This contributes to the changes in bryophyte and vascular plant cover and species composition. Site preparation positively affects the growth of planted trees in young stands but also creates forest under...

The main goal of this review was to provide an assessment of the potential of fast-growing tree species for the suitable transformation of agroforestry areas for biomass production in the Baltic Sea region. Our interest was to highlight the research on the management process of agroforestry zones by establishing short rotation plantations with the...

Sweet cherry Prunus avium L. cultivated for wood production is selected and bred mainly based on its growth rate and stem properties to maximize the valuable timber outcome. However, the fruit of sweet cherry has ecological value as food source for animals and can also serve as an income source prior felling. It could be beneficial to consider frui...

The main goal of the review is to provide a summary and an assessment of the potential of fast-growing tree species for suitable transformation of agroforestry areas for biomass production in the Baltic Sea region. The article summarizes the research on the management process of agroforestry zones by establishing short rotation plantations with tre...

Changing ecosystem conditions and diverse socio-economical events have contributed to an ingrained presence of non-native tree species (NNTs) in the natural and cultural European landscapes. Recent research endeavors have focused on different aspects of NNTs such as legislation, benefits, and risks for forestry, emphasizing that large knowledge gap...

The article summarizes the research on managed process of agroforestry zones by short rotation plantations with tree species Salix spp., Populus spp., Alnus spp. and looks at perspectives in the planning of these zones as biomass producers. Short rotation forestry (SRF) with a combination of species and a rotation time of 15 to 30 years, depending...

The role of trees on agricultural land is predicted to increase rapidly in order to achieve biodiversity, environmental, and climate goals. This study demonstrated the selection and evaluation approach and assessed the suitable agricultural land for agroforestry practices in hemiboreal Latvia, which was selected as the demonstration area by synthes...

A balance between forest growth and deforestation must be maintained to ensure sustainable wood production. Faster forest growth increases the economic benefit and to achieve faster forest growth it should be provided with nutrients from which one of the most important is nitrogen. In this study, nitrogen isotope ratio and elemental concentrations...

The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of fly and bottom wood ash on the content of the rare earth elements in the forest soil and blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) . The samples of forest soil and blueberry seedlings (fine roots, stem, leaves, berries) were collected from the different forest areas which were fertilized with bottom...

In Ukraine, 6.5 million hectares of agricultural land characterized by heavy clay soil could be available for sustainable bioenergy crop cultivation because they are considered marginal for food crop cultivation. This study investigated the biomass dry matter yield (DMY) of willow (Salix triandra L. and Salix viminalis L.) and Miscanthus (Miscanthu...

In order to achieve the goals, set within the EU Green Course, it is necessary to increase the share of renewable resources, as well as to change the resource use habits, including greater emphasis on the re-use of plant nutrients. Taking into consideration political objectives, it can be expected that energy production from plant biomass obtained...

presentation concept for Agroforestry conference held in Nouro 16-19 May.

Growing industrial crops on marginal lands has been proposed as a strategy to minimize competition for arable land and food production. In the present study, eight experimental sites in three different climatic zones in Europe (Mediterranean, Atlantic and Continental), seven advanced industrial crop species [giant reed (two clones), miscanthus (M....

Agricultural land abandonment due to biophysical and socioeconomic constraints is increasing across Europe. Meanwhile there is also an increase in bioenergy demand. This study assessed woody crop performance on several relevant types of marginal agricultural land in Europe, based on field experiments in Latvia, Spain and Ukraine. In Latvia, hybrid...

Cutaway peatland is a marginal land, which without further management is an unfavourable environment for plant growth due to low bearing capacity, high acidity and unbalanced nutrient composition of the soil. After wood-ash application, the soil becomes enriched with P and K, creating better conditions for tree growth. In addition to being economic...

Interest in agroforestry as land use practice continues to revive due to it's social, economic, and especially environmental and climate change mitigation benefits. This article encompasses results of productivity of hemiboreal agroforestry system combining rows of wild cherry and small-leaved lime with perennial grasses (Phalaris arundinacea L. an...

European Union (EU) aims to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption in the next decades. The main renewable resource, which is mentioned in the policy documents, is biomass, especially wood biomass. Wood biomass for energy purposes could be successfully acquired from fast-growing woody plantations, growing on non-used agr...

The Northern European countries largely rely on poplars and their hybrids that are transferred northward from more southern regions, therefore, facing a trade-off between the use of full growth potential and sufficient tolerance of low temperatures. We characterized frost damage and its link to early growth and survival of 33 poplar genotypes at th...

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, forest regeneration management and policy in the Nordic–Baltic region (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) have gone through significant changes. For decades forest as a key natural resource was managed with main focus on timber production. However, several factors influence...

The choice of revegetating via direct seeding or planting nursery-grown seedlings influences the potential stresses suffered by seedlings such as herbivory and drought. The outcome of the balance between both revegetation methods may ultimately depend on how species identity and traits such as seed and seedling size interact with environmental cond...

Management of cutaway peatlands is a key issue in many countries. Whilst afforestation has been considered as a suitable after use option for cutaway peatlands, growing conditions after peat harvest are often adverse. To increase soil fertility and neutralise soil acidity, wood ash, an energy production by-product, can be used. In this study, we ex...

With the developments in DNA nanoball sequencing technologies and the emergence of new platforms, there is an increasing interest in their performance in comparison with the widely used sequencing-by-synthesis methods. Here, we test the consistency of metabarcoding results from DNBSEQ-G400RS (DNA nanoball sequencing platform by MGI-Tech) and NovaSe...

The selection of most suitable propagation material, as well as the adjustment of existing seedling management practices, are gaining increasing importance to ensure the best outcomes under the long-term setting of climate change. One of the factors to consider is a predicted increase in the frequency and duration of high-temperature periods. Since...

The distribution of sweet cherry (Prunus avium L. syn. Cerasus avium Moench.) in natural woodlands of Latvia was studied. The growth, vitality and stem quality of the first-generation plantations established in Latvia in different agricultural soils using the planting stock of local origin was assessed. In woodlands, sweet cherry is found in 11 For...

Global efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, places an expanded use of renewable energy high on the political agenda (Sridhar et al., 2014). There is an increased demand in the European Union for wood supply, and particularly for bioenergy (Nabuurs et al. 2014). Furthermore, the European...

The use of biomass from forest harvesting residues or stumps for bioenergy has been increasing in the northern European region in the last decade. The present analysis is a regional review from Nordic and UK coniferous forests, focusing on the effects of whole-tree harvesting (WTH) or whole-tree thinning (WTT) and of WTH followed by stump removal (...

The rising global population size has placed increasing demands for acquisition and sustainable use of renewable resources and carbon sink. One of the ways to meet this demand and realise Green deal is by planting fast growing trees such as Alnus incana , Betula pendula , Salix sp ., Populus tremuloides x Populus tremula for short rotation forestry...

Wood ash recycling can be a reasonable method for energy producers to decrease waste problems. Using wood ash as a fertilizer or liming material could improve soil macro and micronutrient content in peat soils. Therefore, the effect of wood ash on Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) juvenile growth and nutrie...

Human intervention in global nitrogen cycling has led to excess reactive nitrogen (Nr) flows to the environment, impacting terrestrial ecosystems as well as the quality of the atmosphere and waterbodies. This paper presents the results of a study that quantified and compared the main flows of Nr through forest land and wetlands in Latvia and Estoni...

Supplemental material of publication Title: A reactive nitrogen budget for forest land and wetlands in Latvia and Estonia Authors: Arta Bārdule, Arvo Iital, Dagnija Lazdiņa, Ilze Kārkliņa, Zane Lībiete Publication based on GURINIMAS data: Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research - Manuscript ID SFOR-2020-0044

The article [Effect of soil preparation method on root development of P. sylvestris and P. abies saplings in commercial forest stands], written by [Santa Celma, Katrīna Blate, Dagnija Lazdiņa, Kārlis Dūmiņš, Santa Neimane, Toms A. Štāls, Kristīne Štikāne], was originally published Online First without Open Access. After publication in volume [#], i...

Choosing the most suitable soil preparation method is not only important in aspects of seedling growth conditions, but it is also a question about costs of forest regeneration. Most popular soil preparation methods in Latvia are either furrows with disc trenching or spot mounds with an excavator on soils with unfavourable water regime for optimal s...

The success of the forest regeneration with planting is determined by many factors and one of them is soil preparation. Chosen soil preparation method impacts different environmental aspects and one of them is soil temperature and that is one of main abiotic factors determining the growth of roots. Development of the root system is a key prerequisi...

Europe has a history rich in examples of successful and problematic introductions of trees with a native origin outside of Europe (non-native trees, NNT). Many international legal frameworks such as treaties and conventions and also the European Union have responded to the global concern about potential negative impacts of NNT that may become invas...

The biomass production using fast-growing tree species such as hybrid aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx. x Populus tremula L.) has been recognized as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach. Growing these species can reduce the negative impact of earlier land mismanagement and at the same time provide additional biomass growth. The a...

Edible mycorrhizal fungi can be harvested in the fourth year after establishment of a hybrid aspen plantation in previous agricultural land at hemiboreal conditions. It is important to understand the role of fungi in element cycling at the ecosystem level as well as the amounts of elements, including heavy metals, that are accumulated in fruitbodie...

Fast growing tree species such as Populus spp. in short rotation woody crop (SRWC) systems could be an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach to ensure sustainable biomass production and mitigate the negative impacts on the environment caused by more intensive management aimed to promote additional biomass increment. Knowledge on vari...

The studied field of short rotation trees (birch and aspen) is located in Skrīveri municipality in “Pardenči”. Trees in the experimental area were planted in 2011. This area was divided in four blocks of different rows. Each block was 20 m long and 24 m wide. Blocks differ in fertilizer type used in the area. In this experimental tree stand the dat...

25–30 gadu ciklā nu aktuāla ir mežsaimniecības darbu mašinizācija, koku augšanas apstākļu uzlabošana, derīgo izrakteņu ieguves vietu rekultivācija, marginālo platību apmežošana

Ekonomiskie faktori ir svarīgākie. Negūstot ienākumus no konkrētā stādījumu veida, zemes īpašnieks, visticamāk, izvēlēsies citu stādījumu vai citu zemes izmantošanas veidu

Considering the increasing use of wood biomass for energy and the related intensification of forest management, the impacts of different intensities of biomass harvesting on nutrient leaching risks must be better understood. Different nitrogen forms in the soil solution were monitored for 3 to 6 years after harvesting in hemiboreal forests in Latvi...

This study deals with approaches for a social-ecological friendly European bioeconomy based on biomass from industrial crops cultivated on marginal agricultural land. The selected crops to be investigated are: Biomass sorghum, camelina, cardoon, castor, crambe, Ethiopian mustard, giant reed, hemp, lupin, miscanthus, pennycress, poplar, reed canary...

In 2016 more then 40,300 ha of forest was regenerated in Latvia, where 13,000 ha were seeded or planted and 30,300 ha were left in natural regeneration. Before planting, usually one of two soil preparation methods are used-mounding or disc trenching. In areas with optimal water regime, disc trenching is used, while in wet areas mounding is used. Tr...

Daugaviete M., Lazdina D., Celma S., Daugavietis U. 2019. Characteristic growing parameters of small-leaved lime and Norway maple stands in the climatic conditions of Latvia. Acta Biol. Univ. Daugavp., 19 (2): 115-128. In order to clarify the suitability of small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata Mill.) and Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) for plantatio...

Soil preparation is a common practice that precedes outplanting of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) in boreal forests. It has been proven to enhance the survival and early growth of seedlings. Containerized P. abies and P. sylvestris saplings were excavated 1–3 years after outplanting in clear cut forests across Latvia....

Rakstā apkopoti pētījuma rezultāti par iespējām lauksaimniecības zemē, ierīkojot baltalkšņa plantācijas, ražot koksnes biomasu atjaunojamās enerģijas izejvielu nodrošināšanai. Pētījuma rezultāti aptver astoņgadīgu baltalkšņa plantāciju pie biezuma 1600 koki ha-1 , augšanas gaitas parametrus, iegūstamo krāju un biomasu, piemērojot 2 mēslošanas veidu...

Meža darbu mehanizācijas un meža biokurināmā pētījumu programmas darba uzdevumu izpildes pārskats

To evaluate the potential of establishing a deciduous tree plantation on an industrial cutaway peatland over an 8 ha large experimental site was established in the central part of Latvia and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and black alder (Alnus glutionsa (L.) Gaertn.) tree species were planted. As it is a harsh and unfavorable environment wood...

The early stage of forestry is crucial for successful and sustainable forest management. One third of the reforested forest in Latvia is regenerated by planting with different kinds of tree seedlings. The success of forest regeneration by planting depends on correctly prepared soil and choice of the right seedling material. The aim of this study wa...

Non-native tree species are widely used in forest plantations and agroforestry systems worldwide for their often-high productivity and performance compared to native trees. In addition, they have been and are introduced and used for multiple reasons, such as gardening, protective functions, arboreta, erosion control and for increasing the forest ar...

The research objective was to estimate how the application of nitrogen fertilizer and wood ash in state forests can influence the additional volume increment and to determine the economic impact and national level climate change mitigation potential of the forest fertilization practice. National forest inventory data was used to select stands that...

One of the most feasible options for utilization of wood ash obviously is to improve the forest growth conditions, particularly in fertilization of drained forests and peatlands, where the positive impact on tree growth response is observed by many studies in boreal and temperate moist climate zone. Forest fertilization as forestry measure meets se...