As the most beautiful holidays of the year approach, when all residents decorate their homes with Christmas trees and fir branches, the State Forestry Office and Lithuanian police is preparing a joint promotion "Eglutė", which will take place on December 18.
"We all live in anticipation of the holidays, we decorate our homes, but at the same time we have to remember certain rules to welcome the holidays comfortably and safely. Therefore, together with our partners - the Lithuanian Police - we will remind you of the rules of visiting the forest - Christmas trees can be purchased at shops, it is forbidden to cut down Christmas trees or their branches in the state forest. In the meantime, police officers will remind all drivers that the rules of the road also apply in forests. This is a preventive action, during which the residents will receive a Christmas tree as a gift from the foresters and the officers who stopped them," said Valdas Kaubrė, head of the State Forestry Office.
According to the Commissioner General of the Police, Renato Požela, the police gladly agreed to join the preventive action organized by their fellow foresters. "Before Christmas, we want to once again remind drivers of the basic rules of road traffic, draw attention to violations committed in forests or hand over a reflector. I hope there will be no serious violations before the holidays and the officers won't have to write protocols," says Police Commissioner General Renatas Požėla.
Crews of police officers and foresters will carry out preventive actions at forest entrances on Saturday - Christmas trees will be distributed to forest visitors: near Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda.
According to V. Kaubrė, we should be happy that less and less violations are detected every year, when residents arbitrarily cut down a Christmas tree in the forest or damage firs and pines by tearing their branches. As a result of such mechanical damage, the tree may die. Therefore, every year the foresters also organize the campaign "Bring Christmas to your home", which has become a tradition, during which, promoting the sustainable use of forest resources, around 100 fir trees are distributed.
The campaign "Eglutė", when state forest protection and police officers unite their forces, is taking place for the first time this year. Until now, officers and foresters of the State Forestry Department have organized joint raids in the forests to prevent the illegal and destructive use of four-wheelers on non-forest roads.
On December 17-23, foresters of the State Forestry Agency will conduct 287 raids throughout Lithuania to check compliance with the requirements of the Forest Visiting Rules.
