On June 14-th 2024, we visited the winners of the Best-Managed Forest in Lithuania 2023 competition, owned by our consortium partner, Melda. Surrounded by well-groomed trees and singing birds, we spread our message uniting forestry experts and lovers for a common goal – more innovative, safer, and healthier forests.

The Exemplary Forest Management competition, organized by the Lithuanian Forest and Land Owners Association (FOAL), has been held annually since 2004. It aims to transform the perception of forest owners from mere benefit seekers to creators of value. This event promotes sustainable, balanced, and responsible forestry practices, and Melda’s exemplary forest management has set a high standard for future participants.

During our visit, forest owner Meldas Lampickas shared valuable insights into his management strategies. He emphasized the importance of a minimalistic approach to forest intervention, noting that nature is largely self-sustaining and that human interference often disrupts the natural balance rather than enhancing it. 

“Moreover, maintaining a healthy mix of young and old trees is crucial for ensuring the forest’s longevity and ecological balance. Also, while pine trees are well-suited to Lithuanian soil, deciduous trees require more careful management and care,” he pointed out.

Meldas Lampickas, Algis Gaižutis, Augustas Alešiūnas, Mindaugas Šilininkas

From the forest exploring site to the discussions on the stump

Other forestry enthusiasts, experts in their fields, and representatives of GFarm for LIFE consortium members also shared their perspectives. Algis Gaižutis Chairman of the Forest and Land Owners Association of Lithuania (FOAL) emphasized the importance of staying attuned to opportunities for forest owners. He shared examples from other European countries where forest owners can earn additional income through innovative practices, such as cultivating endangered species or providing habitats for specific animal breeds: “These practices not only contribute to biodiversity but also offer economic benefits to forest owners,” noted A. Gaižutis.

Augustas Alešiūnas, AgTech business angel and founder of ART21, highlighted the potential for Lithuania to establish itself as the leading country in ForestTech. He noted that just as Estonia is known for its e-government or Germany for its industry, we could be known for our digital forestry. 

“We’re in full swing with the GFarm project, which aims to create a framework for national carbon credit management and calculations in the AFOLU sector. Remarkably, it was the only project in the past 12 years that the EU funded with a consortium from the same country, as the LIFE programme typically funds only international projects. 

In this way, we demonstrated to Brussels that a small country can have strong players capable of creating a functional framework where science, business, and government collaborate effectively,” he explained. 

According to A. Alešiūnas, once developed, adapted, and tested, we can offer this model to other European countries. Each EU country needs until 2026 to decide how to manage their national carbon credit systems. Currently, no country has a real, reliable, and effective platform. So, this gives us a competitive edge.

“Also, the Forest 4.0 initiative, with its Center of Excellence, aims to develop, commercialize, and market forestry technologies, ultimately operating as a self-sufficient business attractive for international partnerships. This project is also a key tool in positioning Lithuania at the forefront of digital forestry innovation,” he added.

Mindaugas Šilininkas, vice-chairman of FOAL and coordinator-expert for the GFarm, presented the concept of carbon credits and their implementation. He explained that once a system is in place to count and evaluate these carbon credits, the government could confirm their legitimacy. Credits will be awarded for two main activities: planting new forests and improving forest management to increase biomass: 

“This system ensures that only added value is counted, encouraging practices that enhance the forest’s capacity to store carbon. This would most likely lead to the formation of a new market of carbon credit brokers, who by collecting larger amounts of them, could potentially attract big companies as clients,” said M. Šilininkas.

Continuing collaboration is essential

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their knowledge and ideas. This gathering provided an excellent opportunity to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including forest owners, farmers, business leaders, NGOs, and policymakers interested in advancing the forestry sector in Lithuania and beyond. 

The event also reminded us once again of the critical role of collaboration in driving the forestry sector forward. We can achieve great success by coming together and working in a unified manner with business, government, and the public!