Lithuania may clear 1,000 hectares of forest for Kapčiamestis military training ground

Up to 1,000 hectares of forest may need to be cleared to build a planned military training ground near Kapčiamestis in Lithuania’s Lazdijai district, Deputy Defence Minister Bronius Bieliauskas told lawmakers on Tuesday, LRT reports.

Speaking before the Seimas Committee on Environmental Protection, Bieliauskas said the exact area to be logged remains unknown and will only be determined once detailed design work begins. “We should fit within 1,000 hectares,” he stated, adding that the full scope will become clear “when we start drafting proposals for major firing ranges in the second half of 2027.”

The deputy minister outlined a timeline in which property valuations—required for compensation to local residents—would take three months to procure and another six months to complete, pushing the process into early 2027. Only after compensation payments could design work commence, with ownership transferring to the Ministry of National Defence. “That’s roughly the sequence, and we’ll only know the precise figures in late 2027,” Bieliauskas said.

Ligita Girskienė, a representative of the rural affairs group Valstietė, raised concerns in the committee about the scale of deforestation, noting that local residents fear “huge areas” will be affected. Bieliauskas acknowledged that since 2024, permits have already been issued to clear 1,200 hectares of forest within the designated zone, which spans roughly 14,000 hectares in total.

The training ground’s construction law, if adopted, would take effect in July, triggering the compensation and planning process. Bieliauskas emphasised that final decisions on logging will depend on technical requirements, including buffer zones around wetlands, protected areas, and infrastructure such as bunkers.