Greenhouse gas emissions and removals in land and forests

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the LULUCF sector increased by 137% from 1990 to 2023. This change is associated with the increase in the area of mature forests and, as a result, increased harvest rate and natural mortality in ageing forests, and the eventual reduction of the size of mature forests. The increases in GHG emissions in 2014 and from 2020 to 2023 are the cumulative result of the increase in the harvest rate and natural mortality and the reduction in the area of living biomass in forest land, according to national forest inventory data. In 2022, the increase in the harvest rate in forest land was related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the disruption of the existing wood supply chains and timber market turbulences. Furthermore, Latvia has very high emission levels from organic soils.

The historical trend in Latvia’s LULUCF sector as shown in the graph moves in the opposite direction from the national target, and the same situation is shown in national projections. To break this trend, additional measures like afforestation, biochar application and the storage of carbon in wood products, among other measures, have been introduced in the updated national energy and climate plan as a target scenario. To achieve this target set for the LULUCF sector in 2030, all measures should be implemented fully and in a timely manner.