UNHIDE Agroforestry - A Knowledge Exchange Latvia- Sweden 2023-25 - Report - Page 47
ation. Parts of the thinned areas are planted with
linden, maple, and black alder, and seeded with
linden, maple, sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), oak, beech, apple, rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), and a shrub layer including barberry (Berberis vulgaris) and European buckthorn (Rhamnus
cathartica).
• Several scattered old “landmarks” of oak, wild
apple, maple, linden, ash, and pine, with undergrowth including bird cherry (Prunus padus),
hazel, grey willow (Salix cinerea), and alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus).
• A fenced polycyclic trial (inspired by an Italian
system) combining fast- and slow-growing trees—
such as aspen, alder, poplar, willow, oak, beech,
and other hardwood species—designed to support each other and enable continuous timber
harvest.
• A plant nursery established in raised sand beds,
inspired by Swedish gardener Peter Korn at Klinta
trädgård, to enhance plant robustness and minimise maintenance needs.
Additional experiments are underway, including
a newly established “tiny forest” trial and a breeding project for sweet chestnuts and walnuts.
During the last three years, efforts have focused
on creating microhabitats in the forest, such as
standing dead trunks, stone piles, and ‘Mulmholks’—nest boxes filled with mulch (remains
Beekeeper Toms.
of rotted wood, leaves, and animal droppings)
that resemble the conditions found in hollow
tree trunks. These are intended for insects such
as saproxylic beetles that depend on dead and
decaying wood for food and habitat. The work is
partly carried out using small forestry machinery
and partly through hired labour. Since 2022, the
forest has functioned as a demonstration site for
privately owned sustainable forest management in
collaboration with WWF Latvia and LatViaNature.
FILM: I’M A TREE, WHAT
DO I NEED? (link)
“This is an interesting example of
how former arable land can be transformed into a multi functional sys-
tem.Instead of removing the native,
pioneer, nitrogen-昀椀xing grey alders,
they have been left to enrich the sys-
tem. Vadakste can be an inspiration for
southern Swedish forest owners, with
suffering monoculture spruce plan-
tations on former arable land, looking
for a way to secure the forest as an
intergenerational investment, for food
security, timber and biodiversity” –
Maja Lindström Kling.
Melampyrum nemorosum.
