After the environmentalists started the investigation, S. Gentvilas says that he carried out the logging in his forest legally

On Thursday, the “Delfi” portal announced that deep ruts remained in the forests of S. Gentvil following the fellings, and the forest road was damaged. Violations were also committed in the neighboring plot.

“The Department of Environmental Protection has launched an investigation. We will be able to comment on it in more detail following it ends,” the department informed BNS.

S. Gentvilas told BNS that he carried out the fellings almost a year and a half ago – in December 2022.

“There is nothing sensational there, the forest is economic, not recreational, not in a protected area, a forest management project was made in 2007, planned felling in 2019 (…), felled in 2022,” said the Minister of the Environment.

According to him, the ruts in the forest were formed because the winters are currently warm and there is no frost.

“Here are the interpretations. Everyone can see what the weather is like at the seaside, when you are transporting logs through the forest, if farmers cannot enter the fields, the same goes for foresters – there has been no frost in the Klaipėda region for several winters, it is normal that ruts pass and remain. There is no sensation here,” he said.

According to S. Gentvila, ruts are not prohibited in the forest, and there is no road in it, and clearings are not accessible. In the forest, according to the minister, you drive on piled branches, and these get stuck.

“I have nothing to comment on, logging works, it is done according to the logging permit, it is legal to do it. The wood needs to be taken out of the forest. We would be happy if there was frost in the forests, but there is not always frost in Lithuanian forests, we need to get that wood out somehow. This year, the forest will be replanted, and it will be tidied up,” said the minister.

S. Gentvilas said that it was the third time that he carried out fellings in his forest, in 2008 and 2015. As planned, replacements were made.

“Nothing is exceptional, it is planned according to the forest management project, which has been in the works for twenty years. A forest was planted. (…) The article is regarding the fact that the minister should not have a forest at all, because the economic forests are there to be felled, to get wood, the whole region of Žemaitija, Klaipėda, is known as the center of wood”, said S. Gentvilas.

According to him, regarding 15 thousand are carried out in Lithuania every year. fellings and this one is also not exceptional, except that “the minister cut in his forest”.