The most obvious application of satellite images in forestry areas and generating forests maps with particular emphasis on identifying temporarily non-forested areas and mapping forest clear-cuts. The aim of this paper was to investigate the influence of attributes describing forest clear-cut patch size, patch shape, and habitat conditions on classification results and map forest clear-cuts in Latvian and Estonian boundary area. The satellite images used were medium spatial resolution Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite images made in plain snow cover conditions in late winter. The boundary area was represented by Aluksne region in Latvia and by Voru County in Estonia. Clear -cut areas as changed areas in forests were discerned from non-changed areas with image differencing method that has proved itself as one of the most often used methods in land use and land cover change detection.

Forests and possibilities for forest land use have always played a very significant role in Latvia, gathering important experience in the course of time that can be analysed and used to improve the existing laws and regulations on the basis of the acquired results. the territory is characterised by a high percentage of forest coverage and its potential to increase up two thirds of the terrestrial area of the country. In the current economic, social and ecological situation it is important to provide a scientific explanation for the future fluctuations of forest resources balance due to natural and artificial transformation of lands - what is discussed in this article?

The manufacture and export of pallets is one of the largest sectors of the wood industry. For the manufacturing of pallets mainly softwood - spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) wood - materials are used. The price of those materials is increasing. It could be better for the production of pallets if the manufacturers could use hardwood - alder (Alnus incana L. Moench) and aspen (Populus tremula L.) wood materials. The reasons for that could be that these materials are not so expensive and that softwood materials could be used more in the wood industry where it is more necessary. But at that point more information about the physical and mechanical properties of hardwood materials needed. Basing on the previous research on quality and mechanical properties of softwood and hardwood and on the present research work the practical and theoretical values of deflection and strength of pallets have been assessed. The research enables us to optimize the preparation for pallet production. The aim of the research is to find out the strength of the pallets without destroying.

The school's education surrounding is the places where social experience and children's learning opinion are gathered develop the system of attitudes. It values actualizes education's needs and develop the motivation of self-realization and develop motivates to continue the education. It is important to develop the skills to make a prognosis, to plan and to project the future. The aim motivation must be the real key in this process. The education of career is the school especially the main thing for rural schools that provide the long-term development during the crisis of demography and competition. The authors offer: 1) the typical needs of pupils for education in the surrounding of education, which is based on ecological approach in education and stresses the link between the surrounding and man in the holistic way, 2) the analysis of done investigations and evaluation in the part of discussions analysing the approach of career's education problems in the rural school, giving the references to other authors' views and investigations.

In order to get maximum economic effect, when setting a solar collector in a peasant yard, it is important to choose the correct place. The yield of obtained heat energy will be at its maximum, if the temperature of surrounding air and solar radiation are higher by the relative humidity of the air - lower. To define these parameters, a special device 'Meteorological Device' (MD-4) was developed. The device was supplied with a mechanism which tracks the sun all day round. So the direct solar radiation on the surface perpendicular to the sun beams was measured. The second measuring of the solar radiation was made in relation to the surface, which was perpendicular to the sun beams only at the middle of a day time. For the measuring of the air temperature and relative humidity, corresponding sensors were used. In every 15 minutes the data of these four meteorological parameters were automatically measured and the results were saved into a logger - the device for data accumulation. After a certain period of time the information was brought into the memory of a computer and analysed.

The main parameters of the plough body that determine the ploughing efficiency are the initial and the final soil trip lifting angles on the share-mouldboard surface, the angles of its horizontal generatrix, the radius of this surface, and the working width of the body. By using analytical correlations derived as a result of theoretical research, a computer algorithm has been worked out for simulating the functions of the plough body and the forces exerted by soil upon the operating parts, as well as its draft resistance. These correlations allow to determinate the forces acting on the plough body and its draft resistance depending on the share inclination angle, as well as to evaluate its impact on the ploughing efficiency: energy, and the fuel consumption, and the quality of work. By increasing the initial lifting angle epsilon, (inclination angle of share toward furrow bottom) the draft resistance increases. For economical ploughing, the initial lifting angle of the soil strip must have a minimal value, its optimum may vary 28...32 deg. The use of bodies having optimal parameters allows obtaining good ploughing quality, reduce draft resistance by 12...20% and to raise correspondingly the efficiency, to save fuel and financial resources for ploughing.

The development of the water management economy must satisfy the demands of the society and create the assumptions for a balanced development of the Lithuanian economy. Therefore it is essential to develop a politically independent, innovative and effective water management economy, which shall ensure the supply of the continuous, long-term and accessible services of water supply and wastewater management, socially necessary to all users, the quality of which shall meet the provided requirements. Lithuanian economy has been evolving towards the market economy for the entire decade after the restoration of the independence in 1991. The situation in water supply and maintenance economy was complicated: water management economy in most localities was worn and economically ineffective, wastewater treatment equipment was physically and morally outdated. After joining the European Union, it was required to harmonize the national requirements with the legislation of the European Union: the core attention in the water management sector had been given to the implementation of the Directive of the Common Water Policy. The implementation of the European Union requirements in the water management sector required big financial investment. The objective of this article is to evaluate the investment into the water management sector in Lithuania. The European Union, the international financing institution and national sources are the main resources for the financing of the development of the water sector. In 2000-2003, the subsidies and grants from the aforementioned organizations amounted to 1,169.92 thousand LTL in order to improve the assimilation of the investment, it is essential to increase the pay-back of the water management sector, modify the current management, administration and control structure of the companies in the water sector.

The paper presents the analysis of the pollution of water and sludge of the pond situated in the park of Kedainiai town. The analysis of pollutants such as heavy metals and oil-products has been carried out with the aim to evaluate the possibilities of arranging a sanitary safe bathing, place in the park and use the accumulated sludge. It was determined that the content of heavy metals in sludge exceeds the maximum permissible limit for sludge pollution in Lithuania. According to cadmium amount, the pollution also exceeds maximum allowable soil pollution level. However, the sludge in the pond contains a rather large amount of oil-products. After carrying out stirring-up tests of bottom sludge, it was determined that turbid water is polluted with oil-products that exceed the maximum permissible limit.

Constructed wetlands (CW) are considered as one of principal wastewater treatment methods containing and soil filters. CW may be of subsurface vertical flow (VF) and horizontal flow (HF). The objective of the studies was to estimate N-removal efficiency differences in CW of vertical and horizontal flow. To evaluate nitrogen (N) removal efficiency, the database of the studies on both construction of CW collected within the period of 1995-2005 was used. Horizontal filter systems characterize for a 1.6 times higher N-removal efficiency than vertical filters. Generally, N-removal efficiency depends on the load of filters. When filter load was 1.5 g mE-2dE-1 according to TN, N-removal efficiency is 39.6 and 24.0% in HF and VF systems respectively. Considering the seasons of the year, no significant difference was observed in N-removal efficiency in HF and VF systems during cold and warm periods of the year. N contained in water after the treatment process in filters is detected in different forms. NH4-N is prevailing in HF, while in VF systems NO3-N is dominant. It was also observed that NH4-N in the effluent during the initial operation of VF after the construction works in the first two months in the warm and in four months during their operation in the cold period of the year was prevailing.

Staphylococci and Salmonella bacteria have the influence on the quality of the compost. The samples of the compost were taken before and after the period of low outside temperature (till -20 deg C) to obtain different numbers of Staphylococci and Salmonella bacteria. Comparing to the data at the end of 2005, the number of Salmonella sp. at the beginning of 2006 decreased till zero, but the number of Staphylococcus aureus at the beginning of 2006 increased. The results showed that low outside temperature does not impede the functioning of the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.