What Rīgas Meži does

Rīgas Meži (SIA "Rīgas meži") is a Latvian municipal capital company founded in 2008 and wholly owned by Riga City Municipality, managing the largest green infrastructure holding in Latvia. The company oversees approximately 63,000 hectares of forests across four forestry districts (Jugla, Katrīna, Rīga, and Tīreļi), 452 hectares of urban gardens and parks in Riga, and the 367-hectare Mežaparks culture and recreation park. Core operations include sustainable forestry, timber harvesting and sales via an online auction platform (izsoles.rigasmezi.lv), horticultural and park maintenance services, and CO2 sequestration services for corporate sustainability reporting. The company also operates the Norupe tree nursery — producing over 2 million seedlings annually including the proprietary Rīgas Pine (Pinus sylvestris var. rigensis L.) variety — and the EkVidO environmental education center.

The company's revenue model is diversified across six streams: timber and wood product sales, tree seedling and seed sales, real estate rentals and auctions, professional park and garden maintenance services, CO2 removal services with certification, and environmental education via the EkVidO program. Pricing is publicly disclosed and unit-based: seedlings priced at €244-610 per thousand, Mežaparks meadow rental at €520/24h, and Christmas trees ranging from €21 to €3,000. Distribution operates through direct sales at the headquarters and four forestry offices, the online auction platform, the Norupe nursery, and the Mežaparks venue. Customers include Riga City Council (primary municipal owner), private forest owners, corporations seeking carbon offset services, schools (educational excursions), and the general public (park/event rentals).

Technology and operational sophistication include FSC and PEFC international certifications, satellite and AI-based forest monitoring through the SWIFTT project with EU Space Agency (EUSPA), a proprietary functional zoning methodology for multi-purpose green infrastructure planning, and innovative 3D-printed concrete insect habitats developed with Riga Technical University. The company is registered as a national security significant commercial entity (2021) and achieved Platinum category in the Sustainability Index (2024) with assets exceeding €200M and 250+ employees. In March 2026, Riga City Council approved a merger with Riga National Zoo to enable zoo development plans through 2035.

Name

Rīgas Meži

Legal name

SIA "Rīgas meži"

Website

https://rigasmezi.lv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rīgas Meži is a Riga City Municipality-owned company managing 63,000 hectares of forests, 452 hectares of urban parks, and the 367-hectare Mežaparks recreation park, providing sustainable forestry, timber sales, tree nursery production, environmental education, and CO2 sequestration services to municipal, corporate, and public customers in Latvia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Forestry and Green Infrastructure Management

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210), Landscaping Services (56173)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Public Lands Administration (State/National Forests) (BPAIAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Nursery Growing Media, Containers & Inputs Supply (AFAMADAH), Tree Planting & Establishment Services (Manual/Mechanized) (AFAMACAE), Right-of-Way & Vegetation Management (Utilities/Transportation Corridors) (IMAIAIAI)

Keywords

• Sustainable forestry management
• Urban green infrastructure
• Municipal park maintenance
• Tree seedling production
• Environmental education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Timber and Wood Products: Timber harvesting and sales through forest management operations, including forestry auctions and direct sales of harvested wood materials.
2. Tree Seedling and Seed Sales: Sale of high-quality tree seedlings (pine, spruce, birch, black alder, oak) and seeds from the Norupe nursery. Produces over 2 million seedlings annually, with most used for internal planting and surplus sold to customers.
3. Real Estate Rentals and Auctions: Leasing of real estate properties including land for temporary markets, seasonal trading, and space rental in Mežaparks and other managed areas.
4. Park and Garden Maintenance Services: Professional landscaping, arborist, transport, and machinery services provided to public and private customers for garden and park maintenance.
5. CO2 Removal Services: Tree planting talks and carbon sequestration services for organizations, including calculation of CO2 absorption and official certification for sustainability reporting.
6. Environmental Education (EkVidO): Environmental education programs, excursions, and facility rentals at the EkVidO environmental education center, including orientation polygon activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rīgas Meži manages municipal green infrastructure including approximately 63,000 hectares of forests across four forestry divisions, 452 hectares of gardens and parks in Riga, and the 367-hectare Mežaparks culture and recreation park. The company produces over 2 million tree seedlings annually at its Norupe nursery, sells timber and Christmas trees, delivers environmental education through the EkVidO program, offers CO2 sequestration services for organizations, and rents venues for events in Mežaparks.

Product overview

Rīgas Meži is a municipal company managing Riga and Pierīga's green infrastructure, offering a unified portfolio of forestry management (63,000 ha across four forestries), horticultural services (452 ha of gardens/parks), and the Mežaparks recreation park (367 ha). The product suite is structured around core operational divisions—Forestry and Forests, Gardens and Parks, plus specialized sub-products including the EkVidO environmental education program and Kokaudzētava Norupe tree nursery. Supporting services include digitally marked trails, orientation polygons, enduro motorcycle trails, CO2 removal services, event coordination, online auctions, and tree seedling/sales operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forestry Management Services (Mežniecības un meži) Forest management across approximately 63,000 hectares in Riga, Pierīga, and the Limbaži region, delivered through four forestry units (Juglas, Katrīnas, Rīgas, Tīreļu). Activities include conservation, timber harvesting, regeneration, and ecosystem preservation, sold to and contracted for by the municipal owner and timber buyers.
• Gardens and Parks Management (Dārzi un parki) Horticultural and landscaping services covering 452 hectares of gardens, parks, and plantings in Riga, including Daugava embankments, delivered through the Pārdaugava and Rīdzenes districts. Ensures accessibility, cultural values, and citizen well-being.
• Mežaparks Culture and Recreation Park 367-hectare cultural and recreation park managed since 2009, offering disk golf, BMX tracks, minigolf, the Mežakaļis adventure park, children's playgrounds, and beach facilities. Available to the public with venue rentals for events.
• EkVidO Environmental Education Program Environmental education center and program offering excursions, orientation polygon activities, and facility rentals at the Ogre-region education center and in Riga's forests and parks, for schools and the general public.
• Kokaudzētava Norupe Tree Nursery Tree nursery producing over 2 million high-quality seedlings annually, including Scots pine, spruce, birch, black alder, and oak, featuring premium Riga Pine (Pinus sylvestris var. rigensis) seed plantations. Most production is used internally; surplus is sold to customers.
• CO2 Removal and Sequestration Services Carbon dioxide removal services for organizations, including tree planting sessions, forest establishment, CO2 absorption calculations, and official certification for sustainability reporting.
• Tree Seedling and Seed Sales Retail sale of tree seedlings and seeds produced at Kokaudzētava Norupe, including Scots pine, spruce, birch, black alder, and oak at publicly disclosed per-thousand and per-kilogram pricing.
• Park and Garden Maintenance Services Professional landscaping, arborist, transport, and machinery services provided to public and private customers for garden and park maintenance, leveraging the company's equipment fleet.
• Event Coordination and Venue Rental Public event coordination and venue rental services in gardens, parks, and Mežaparks, including vehicle entry permits, large-meadow rentals (520 EUR/24h), promotion events (65 EUR/hour), and major events with coefficient-based pricing.
• Online Auctions for Timber, Real Estate, and Venues Online auction platform (izsoles.rigasmezi.lv) for selling harvested timber, real estate, Mežaparks venues, and other company assets through competitive bidding.
• Real Estate Services Real estate services including land rental, servitude establishment, construction project coordination, and deforestation plan preparation, with set service fees (e.g., 618.45 EUR for land rent/building rights establishment, 685.95 EUR for servitudes).

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 billion trees targeted under European initiative joined in 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Riga National Zoo (Rīgas Nacionālais Zooloģiskais dārzs)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2025Riga City Council decided to merge Riga National Zoo with Riga Forests to facilitate the zoo's development plans through 2035. The merger aims to upgrade infrastructure to meet modern animal welfare standards, attract funding, and implement new exhibits including Tibetan black bear and snow leopard habitats.
• Fabula Creative AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on 'Insect Homes in Riga Parks' project using innovative 3D-printed concrete structures for solitary bee habitats.
• European Climate PactminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Initiative partner supporting climate action and pollinator conservation projects in urban areas.
• Latvian Nature Fund (Latvijas Dabas fonds)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Consultation partner for the Insect Homes project providing expertise on entomology and conservation.
• Nordic Council of MinisterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on 'Smart Green Works!' project under the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for public administration, focusing on sustainable forestry innovations.
• Latvian Orienteering Federation (Latvijas Orientēšanās federācija)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create digital orienteering polygons in company-managed territories, providing free recreational activities for various audiences.
• Latvian Motosport FederationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to create Enduro motorcycle trails in forest territories, providing safe and environmentally friendly motorcycling opportunities.
• Sport Complex 333minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Enduro trail location near the sports complex, providing access to approximately 12km of trails.
• EU LIFE ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding and support for peatland restoration projects across Europe (SUPER project) and other environmental initiatives.
• European Union Space Agency (EUSPA)coreTechnology or IntegrationSWIFTT project partnership for satellite data usage in nature territory surveillance and forest threat monitoring.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Metsähallitus: Finnish state-owned enterprise managing roughly 40% of Finland's forests. Comparable as a publicly-owned forest management company that balances commercial timber operations with public service mandates, biodiversity protection, and recreation services.
• Sveaskog: Sweden's largest forest company and majority state-owned, managing ~4 million hectares. Comparable as a publicly-owned forestry operator combining timber production, environmental stewardship, and recreation/leasing activities on public forest land.
• Latvijas Valsts meži: State-owned forest manager of Latvia, administering ~1.6 million hectares of state forests. It is the closest direct peer — operating in the same national market with the same forestry activities, FSC/PEFC certifications, seedling nurseries, and timber auctions, but at national rather than municipal level.

Emerging players

• SweGreen: Nordic vertical/urban farming and indoor greenery solutions provider serving corporate and municipal clients. Comparable as a complementary greentech adjacency rather than a direct competitor, intersecting with Rīgas Meži's CO2/urban greening offerings.
• SweTree Technologies: Swedish forest biotech firm developing improved planting material, propagation technology, and forest genetics. Comparable as a technology/biology-driven supplier in the forestry value chain, intersecting with Rīgas Meži's Norupe nursery operations and Riga Pine genetics program.

Broad incumbents

• Stora Enso: One of Europe's largest private forestry/forest products companies. Comparable because it operates upstream forestry assets in the Nordic-Baltic region and has sustainability-certified timber supply, though it is vertically integrated into pulp, paper, and packaging rather than focused on municipal green infrastructure.
• UPM-Kymmene: Major Finnish forestry and biomaterials company with significant private forest holdings in the Baltic region. Comparable on the upstream forestry asset and timber supply side, though its business model extends into industrial processing rather than municipal service delivery.

Regional players

• Södra: Swedish forestry cooperative owned by ~50,000 forest owners. Comparable on cooperative-style forestry economics, timber supply, and sustainable forest management practices in the Nordic-Baltic region, though it operates primarily in southern Sweden rather than Latvia.
• Looduse Omniva (Estonian State Forests / RMK): Estonian state forest management centre managing ~1 million hectares. Comparable as a publicly-owned forestry operator in a neighbouring Baltic country offering timber, recreation, environmental education, and protected-area management — essentially a national mirror of Rīgas Meži's municipal model.

Others

• Ponsse: Finnish manufacturer of forestry machines and harvester technology used in sustainable forestry operations. Comparable as an enabling supplier of mechanized forest management technology that could support Rīgas Meži's forestry district operations, but not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RigasMezi
• Instagraminstagram.com/rigas_mezi
• Xx.com/parks_mezaparks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r-gas-me-i

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rīgas Meži