Forests influence on water quality, Lithuania
The forest management in Lithuania has always been under strict professional control. Therefore annual felling has never exceeded the sustainable limits of the allowable annual cut.
The flat terrain with poorly-drained soils results in a high water table. So forest management has a big influence on water quality. Ministry of Environment has expressed a desire to participate in the WAMBAF project and further develop existing and new water protection planning tools and guidelines for forests.
Lithuania's participation in the project will help us take decisions on forest resources development and ensuring sustainable forestry principles. Implementation of the project will provide us with more information about the current situation in the Baltic Sea countries and facilitate decisions to ensure good water quality in the forest areas in Lithuania.
We hope that this project will create a smart and collaborative network promoting a joint research in order to reduce export of nutrients into the Baltic Sea.
Facts about forests and lakes in Lithuania
Forests cover 33 percent of the territory.
Bogs and marshlands now cover 7 percent of its territory.
77 percent of wetlands have been drained for agricultural purposes in the middle of the twentieth century.
Responsible at the national level for coordinating water resource management and development are the Ministry of Environment, the Lithuanian Geological Survey, the Lithuanian Hydrographical Network Survey and eight regional environmental protection departments at a local level.
Zbignev Glazko