The study concentrates on housing vulnerability during the post-crisis period in Latvia and how it has impacted vulnerable groups, particularly seniors. Housing vulnerability includes objective and subjective factors. Seniors 65+, especially those seniors who live alone are one of the vulnerable groups in sense of housing security. It could be characterized by parameters of housing quality and housing expenses adequacy. The EU policy examines perceptions of insecurity in few areas, including housing security and old-age income insecurity – of not having an adequate income in old age. The number of single senior 65+ households is increasing in both rural and urban areas. The study explores housing vulnerability for older persons – seniors 65+, one of social groups in disadvantageous economic situation. Authors explore how housing vulnerability affects seniors, especially those who are over the age of 65+ and are living alone. The challenging issues were construction of theoretical background integrating housing security during social changes in the post-crisis period with disadvantageous situation of seniors 65+. The comparative quantitative approach is based on data from descriptive statistics. The research design is quantitative comparative analysis. To make a comparison, there were selected two groups: single seniors 65+ and all households. The proposition is that in the post-crisis period housing vulnerability for seniors 65+ was decreasing, but differs from average parameters of housing vulnerability for total population. The restriction of current study is analyses that cover only single seniors 65+. The results show significant differences in housing quality and proportional housing maintenance expenditures between single seniors 65+ and all households.

The authors explore ways to combine the use of traditional and mobile positioning data (as Big Data) in assessing the economic impact (EI) of tourism in specific regional areas in line with the opportunities of the digital age. In order to provide an automated evaluation of the tourism EI, a study is being carried out resulting in technical development of a prototype for two interconnected digital applications – ‘Data Bank’ and ‘Data Analysis’ – as a unified solution for research in the e-environment. The study is based on the research work started in 2017 that resulted in the development of a theoretical strategic model for the construction of the prototype. Continuing the research, the aim of this publication is to develop a theoretical tactical (technological action) model needed for the practical development of the prototype, incl. for the identification of prerequisites to develop the Software Design Description (SDD) of the prototype. To this end, the technological capabilities and their collaborative effects have been investigated in line with the requirements included in the prototype Software Requirements Specification (SRS). Performing the qualitative research, the tactical model has been developed, which designates the practical construction of the prototype. It consists of a combination and joint operation of 4 platforms (servers) – Apache Ambari, Apache Hadoop Ecosystem, Drupal and Jupyter Notebook. The strengths of the model, the risky features as well as the future perspectives for the practical implementation of the goal have been discovered during the research.

Mediation process promotes conflict solving, contributes to a higher level of positive solutions and decreases the number of litigation cases. The aim of the study is to outline the usage of constructive approach in mediation process, analyse conflict and its solving models and to find out the opinions of secondary school students on dialogue and conflict, as well as parties’ assessments after the mediation process. The theoretical method of the study is the analysis of conflict, conflict resolution, mediation process and long-standing mediator practice. The investigation of constructivist approach, conflict elements and strategies are outlined in the study. Conflict solving models are analysed in the Methodology part of the study. Empirical methods were a structured group interview of secondary school students and questioning of conflicting parties. The results of the study confirm that knowledge on conflict and mediation should be developed at school and mediation models should be improved on the basis of constructive approach.

Multiple information systems have been developed during the last decade to gain more from collaboration, knowledge management and ideas. One type of such tools is the idea management systems (IMS) – a manageable systematic tool to generate and evaluate ideas. However, there is a lack of research which explores what web-based IMS are, and how they materialize practically. To fill the gap, the paper aims to create classification and application description of web-based IMS by adapting the theoretical and empirical research approaches. To achieve this aim, first, scientific papers, book chapters, and proceedings focused on the idea management and IMS were analysed using a systematic literature review method and content analysis technique. Based on the analyses, several possible classifications of IMS criteria were found. Second, commercially available web-based IMS evaluation was conducted to verify the criteria and to add data-based classification criteria. Analysis of IMS has helped to characterize parities and disparities of web-based IMS. Results prove that IMS could be classified by their application focus – as ‘active’ and ‘passive’. Dominant type is the active IMS. IMS could also be classified by the sources involved in the idea management – internal, external or mixed IMS. The main structural features of the web-based IMS are idea generation, idea evaluation, and idea retention. Results prove that there are no important differences between theoretical and empirical research results. .

The paper covers analysis of pre-commercial thinning performed in private forests over the period of 2007–2017. Since 2007, permanent and considerable European Union subsidies for pre-commercial thinning have been available; resulting in a significant increase in area of thinned young stands in private forests. The aim of this research is ascertain pre-commercial thinning activity depending on the type of forest owner (individuals, legal persons or local municipality), forest stand type (forest stand or plantation) and origin (natural or artificial) as well as the forest owner’s intention to apply for European Union subsidies. Data analysed were obtained from Forest State Register – national data base, managed by state authority State Forest Service and continued analysis comprise two main topics – ascertain amount and type of young stands owned by different type of private forest owners and amount and type of conducted pre-commercial thinning. In comparison with other type of forest owners, legal persons have significantly higher amount (47%) of young plantation forest and forest stands from the total forest stands area. The highest intensity of thinning was conducted in plantation forests of artificial origin owned by legal and physical persons, also forest stands with artificial origin owned by physical persons. The current period for European Union Rural development programme will be over in 2020; therefore, it is important to analyse the existing approach of granting subsidies to forestry and find the improvement necessary for the planning period from the year 2021.

The objects of research are the lime-tree forests of the Leningrad region. The studies were carried out on 2 permanent plots established by the authors in May 2013 in the Lisino forest district (Leningrad region, Russia). The goal of research was to obtain a complex characteristic of stands dominated by linden (Tilia cordata). The objective of the research included a taxation and geobotanical description on permanent plots and studies of the soil cover (morphological and agrochemical characteristics of soils). The general health status of stands on the surveyed areas was determined as satisfactory – mean score 2.5 and 2.8 (relevant health status was determined with the help of the following 6-grade scale for each tree: 1 – no signs of weakening; 2 – weakened tree; 3 – very weakened tree; 4 – partial mortality of the tree; 5 – dead-standing trees of the current year; 6 – dead-standing trees of previous years). The average mortality rate varies from 3.05% year-1 on the sample plot 2 to 5.7% year-1 on the sample plot 1. Vegetation on sample plots attributes to a nemorose-herbal series of forest types, soils – to a podzolic type with a weak development of the podzol-forming process. They were well-mediated ones by humus in the upper horizon. This fact was facilitated by the lime litter: a lime has a deep root system to take up nutritional chemicals from a greater depth, where moraine loams enriched with calcium carbonate located. Old-aged forests of this type are being in the phase of gap dynamics now. This means that they can occur for a rather long time in the same place, however, the lime-tree forests of natural origin are constantly under threat of being replaced by spruce. The results of our study have shown that low levels of soil mineral nutrients supply are sufficient for the successful linden growth.

The study represents results on remote sensing methods based evaluation of land use and land use changes in former and existing peat extraction areas in Latvia. The aim of the study is to elaborate activity data set for the National GHG inventory for the wetlands remaining wetlands for peat extraction. The study results provide sufficient data for application of the default emission factors for the peat extraction sites and flooded lands. Abandoned peat extraction fields, which are not yet afforested, flooded or rewetted, should be reported as peat extraction sites following a conservative approach in application of the emission factors. The study results can be used to report land use changes since 1990; however, linearized approach in calculation of the land use change may result in overestimation or underestimation of GHG emissions in certain periods of time. According to study results, the area of peat extraction sites is considerably bigger than currently reported in the National GHG inventory, mainly due to considerable areas of abandoned peat extraction fields. Flooded lands may be a significant source of emissions and should be introduced in the National GHG inventory to secure consistency of reporting. Methodology for calculation of GHG emissions from flooded lands should be also elaborated. It is also necessary to elaborate emission factors for fertile and no fertile peat extraction sites and continue work on separation of different soils in the inventory to increase accuracy of calculations.

Increase in use of biomass as renewable source of energy in Europe is tightly linked to the policies aimed at mitigation of climate changes i.e. reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Both for assessment of the carbon sequestration and emissions as well as for assessment of potential amounts of biomass for renewable energy, information of land cover dynamics are essential. Therefore, the aim of our study was to improve accuracy of estimates of the land use changes in the time period between 1990 and 2014. Land use categories were determined in accordance to UNFCCC: wetland, cropland (arable land, bare field), forest, grassland, settlements (urban/suburban area), and other land. Combination of data from National forest inventory (NFI) sample plots and analysis of Landsat images were used. For the classification based on Landsat images vegetation index (NDVI) was estimated and linked to known information on the land use type from NFI sample plot data. In the analysed period, the most significant changes were found for forest lands – the total area of forest land during the last two decades had increased by 1% (64.5 thousand ha). Similar increase (1.2%) was observed also in the area of cropland. Both of these tendencies were primarily the result of marginal field area reduction (by 2.6%). Increase in forest area and thus annual increment has led to an increase in above-ground biomass by 10.2 m**3 haE-1.

The aim of the research is to find out changes in productivity depending on the diameter of the tree to be cut as well as the most important factor influencing the reduction of productivity using small size forest machines in thinning in Latvia. The equipment used in the study – both the harvester and the forwarder is Vimek. The results of the research confirm the appropriateness of the exact technique in thinning if diameter of the harvested trees is 3 to 30 cm. The average productivity of the harvester achieved with a harvester head Keto Forest Eco (option 2) in Norway spruce stands with 8 cm weighted average tree reached 9.59 m**3 hE-1, in deciduous tree stands with 9 cm weighted average was 10.17 m**3 hE-1, but in Scots pine stands with 12 cm average weighted tree diameter reached 10.19 m**3 hE-1. By using the Keto Forest Eco Harvester head according to the thinning productivity figures, no significant difference among the tree species was detected. For the forest owner to predict the theoretical productivity of the harvester, it is possible to apply the equation R = K + KD * D, that is statistically significant, R2 =0.85. This equation is applicable to thinnings when the diameter of thinned trees is between 4 and 25 cm. Forwarder’s average productivity in thinned stands is 8.63 m**3 hE-1.

The early stage of forestry is crucial for successful and sustainable forest management. One third of the reforested forest in Latvia is regenerated by planting with different kinds of tree seedlings. The success of forest regeneration by planting depends on correctly prepared soil and choice of the right seedling material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different soil preparation methods and used type of seedlings on tree survival and growth rate after the first growing season. For this study six young stand sites located in the north-west and central part of Latvia were established in three forest types and in each site soil was prepared in furrows by disc trenching, in mound and left untreated. Reforestation was conducted in the spring of 2017 with four tree species Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, Alnus glutinosa and Betula pendula and three seedling types were used, bare roots, containerized and improved root system. The evaluation of survival and measure of annual increment was conducted at the end of the first growing season in the autumn of 2017. Results showed that overall the highest seedling survival rate provided soil prepared in mound (90%), and seedlings with improved root system, though the lowest survival rate was observed for bare root seedlings. Containerized seedlings have a higher proportional increment if compared to bare root and improved root system seedlings, but differences are not significant yet (p is greater than 0.05). In conclusion, the survival rate of outplanted seedlings differs by chosen stocktype and soil preparation method used in forest regeneration and for various tree species impact of chosen stock type on survival rate differs.