Jie neleidžia nutilti gerai muzikai - Business and Exhibitions

FORESTRY
financing. Thus the money of forest directorate and the Ministry of
Environment spent on registry documentation and measurement
works, reaching more than 600 thousand Litas, are frozen in. Who
can possibly guarantee that in some two years there will be no new
requirements, forcing to review the old cadastral files, spending
additional finances?” asks the supervisor.
Nevertheless, full economic activity is executed in both, legally
registered and non-registered forests. The forests of Kaisiadorys
Directorate are largely appreciated for their recreational-cognitive
features. The directorate lies in the very
centre of Lithuania, between the mostly
notable cities of Vilnius and Kaunas.
The forests under its supervision are
belted with railways and busy highway,
framed with vivid rivers of Nemunas
and Neris on the North and the South.
The forests are located on the territories
of three municipalities: Kaišiadorys,
Elektrėnai, Trakai. They cover a territory
of 46.8 thousand hectares, 30 percent
of which make up a protected zone.
This zone includes the regional parks of
Kaunas Sea, Neris, and Aukstadvaris,
the reservations, the Būda-Pravieniškės
Biosphere Ground, included in NATURA
2000 network, and 75 woodland key
habitats.
Regional Park of Kaunas Sea is
located in the vivid mid-river of Nemunas. All Kaunas Sea along
with its carved strands, adjacent forests, influents of natural rivers
and streams belong to this park.
The purpose of Neris Regional Park is to save the precious loop
system of Neris mid-river, the Bražuolė lower reaches, the valued
forest community of Neris valley, the cultural values, the stability
of natural system, the biotic components and objects, to provide
for the development of cognitive tourism and recreation within the
permitted zones.
The Būda-Pravieniškės Biosphere Ground was established
in 2004. It is included in the NATURA 2000 network. NATURA
2000 is the network of Europe-wide protected territories, intended to
protect rare and endangered species of animals and plants, and natural
habitats in Europe. This ground is constantly used for brooding by
perns, grouses, cranes, pigmy owls, black woodpeckers, black storks,
middle spotted and three-toed woodpeckers. You can also meet other
kinds of birds important to the European Community here: lesser
spotted eagles, and white-backed woodpeckers. Approximately 6
hectares of protected territory is reserved for the protection of these
birds.
There are seven state reservations within the premises of the
state forests of the forest directorate, excluding the reservations
located in the regional parks: Lapaina Botanic Reservation, meant
for the protection of growing places of forest, field and strand plant
communities and of rare plant species; the purpose of Buda Botanical-
Zoological Reservation is to save ash forests with hornbeams,
particular to Dzukija hills, and varieties and growing placed of
rare mushroom, plant, and animal species; Lomena Landscape
Reservation is meant to save a deep valley of Lomena river, rich in
boulder exposures, washes, springs, wet gray alder forests and fields
with rich flora and fauna; Gabriliava Pedologic Reservation is meant
to save the turfy swampy gleyed loamy soil of the western slopes
of Eastern-Lithuanian hills; Palaraistis Thelmological Reservation
protects the only surviving upland moor in Kaišiadorys region,
which gives home to specific plant and animal species; Strosiunai
Lithuanian Economic Review BUSINESS&EXHIBITIONS
Landscape Reservation is meant to protect an expressive landscape
of the unique highly carved moraine elevation. Kaišiadorys Forest
Directorate holds a territory of 230 hectares of inventoried and
approved woodland key habitats; these are the primeval, untouched
forest corners full of rare and endangered or protected species of
flora and fauna. There are ten protected objects of natural heritage on
the territory of the directorate.
The whole complex of protected territories is really valuable
for the people of this region. Yet, it is also visited for cognitive or
recreational reasons by the people
from further regions, especially from
the cities. True, the supervisor is
not thrilled about the youth driving
around on the recently taken off
four-wheelers, ruining the forest
floor, because the existing paths are
not enough for them. Nevertheless,
the foresters are looking forward
to the availability, highlighting,
and exhibition of each and every
appropriate forest corner. The resorts,
recreational paths, viewing grounds,
and reposition spots were established,
informational stands with schemes,
showing all protected territories,
and objects of cultural heritage and
landscape, were set for these purposes.
The most popular is 18-kilometer
circular track for those travelling by car, on a bike, or walking on
foot, laid within the strand of Neris loop.
“We have cut down some scanty trees, and bushes, so as to
open up the whole beauty of Neris loops,” says the forest supervisor
Stasys Truskauskas. “We only have problems with the beavers now,
which not only ruin recreational areas by settling in the reclamation
trenches, especially in the lower and swampier places, but also
harm the industrial wood production by flooding the roads. Yet, the
directorate has little power in this combat against them; that is the
domain of the hunters.”
And yet, what if all this community property is taken and
transferred to forest businessmen, who are actively attempting to
take over the Lithuanian woods, by invoking adequate favourable
economic ideology? Would the foresters be able to resist this
scheme? What shall be the function of the establisher of directorates,
the General Forest Directorate, the main function of which is now
to organize and coordinate the rehabilitation, supervision, and
protection of forests and the use of forest resources?
“In my opinion, if it wasn’t for the firm, consistent, and stable
position of the General Forest Directorate, many Lithuanian forests
along with the directorates would have been well lost,” claims
the supervisor of Kaišiadorys Directorate. “The private capital is
usually interested in the momentary benefit. Indeed, the numbers
of wood supply may seem effective for a season or two after the
privatization. Yet, forest is the national Lithuanian treasure, the
legacy of our ancestors. It was well looked after by generations. The
professionals watch every corner of the forest, be it the pouring rain
or the burning sun outside. They also know which tree is right to be
cut down already; what percentage of dead wood to be left to decay
in order to sustain the ecosystem; and where that rare tundra vole
lives, or where the whooping swan, included into the Red Book of
endangered species, takes care of its offsprings. The devastation of
such state areas, which make even the worldly-wise Western tourists
gasp, the emasculation of forest flora and fauna means the loss of big
part of Lithuania, the loss of its individuality.”
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Urėdijos darbuotojai su Kaišiadorių savivaldybės administracijos atstovais
po miško „Tūkstantmečio giraitė” sodinimo
The staff of the directorate together with the representatives of Kaišiadorys
municipality administration after forest planting “Millenium Grove”