Covered by dense forests that make up more than 50% of the country’s territory – almost twice the world’s average – the forestry industry is one of the cornerstones of the Latvian economy and the leading export sector. About 73% of the local forestry-sector output is exported.

In Latvia, wood is often called the country’s green gold.

Latvian forests are in excellent condition, giving the country a substantial advantage over other wood exporters. Approximately 46% of forests are owned by the state and managed by state stock company Latvijas Valsts Meži, which, alongside private forest owners, puts forest regeneration at the top of their priority list.

Latvia is one of the global leaders in exporting wood products such as sawn wood and timber, fuelwood, particleboard, carpentry products, and more. The value of forestry industry export in Latvia is continuously growing. In 2021, exports of forest industry products amounted to 3.6B EUR – 22% of the country’s total export.

Latvia is among the ten largest exporters of softwood-sawn timber, birch plywood, OSB, and pellets.