Ingka Investments has allocated 16,000 hectares of its Latvian forests to an applied research collaboration with the European Forest Institute and Preferred by Nature. Within this area, the partners are trialing forest management practices such as closer-to-nature approaches and methods that minimise biodiversity impacts. The aim is to identify solutions that work in practice and then scale proven methods across Ingka Investments’ forests and wider supply chains.
Forestland in Latvia
Ingka Investments invests in forestland for the long term to ensure this vital resource is managed responsibly, so that they remain forests forever. In Latvia we own 246,000 hectares.
246,000 hectares of forestland
21% of our forest area included in Conservation Area Network (including High Conservation Values) - FY25
2.55 million seedlings planted - FY25
Trialing closer-to-nature forestry across our portfolio
We work with communities, schools and researchers to put closer-to-nature, biodiversity-friendly forestry into practice and prepare it for scale across our operations.
Providing hands-on forestry education
Every year, our Latvian team takes part in Forest ABC, one of the largest educational forestry events for schoolchildren and families. Visitors learn about the full forestry cycle, including the importance of responsible harvesting and sustainable forest management. In 2025, more than 6,000 participants had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge about forests and how they are managed.
Collaborating with the local Forest Technical School
We have begun a long‑term collaboration with a local forest technical school to bridge education and real-world practice. As part of this partnership:
- Students and professors visited an active harvesting site to observe operations in real time.
- Our team visited the school and used forest machinery computer simulators together with students, offering a clearer perspective on what operators see and experience in their daily work.
- We hosted teachers and shared insights on private forest management and our responsible practices, providing them with practical knowledge to bring back to the classroom.
We plan to continue this collaboration to help ensure that forest education remains closely aligned with the current and future needs of forest management companies.
Connecting people with forests in Cēsis
In April 2024, our team joined the Come with us, let’s go to the forest! event in Cēsis. Together with forestry specialists, we introduced around 1,200–1,400 visitors to key forest management practices, from tree seeds and regeneration to wildlife, habitat protection, and forest harvesting.
Supporting local communities across the Baltics
We actively support local communities across the Baltics in several ways. We donate firewood to those in need and organise forest planting events for children to help them connect with nature from an early age. In addition, we make monetary donations to youth organisations and women’s crisis centres across the region. Together, these activities help strengthen community ties and foster a deeper understanding of the value of forests.
