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Protestors Take Direct Action Against Forest Logging |
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By Juan Miguel Diaz Castro
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Monday, 28 September 2009 |
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Finnish forestry is not as placid as the tourism literature makes out. Opposition to loggers in the Helarisi forest in Kainuu is becoming fiercer and fiercer.
 Risto Mustonen searching for signs of the flying squarrel
Metsähallitus (literally ‘Forest Administration’) is the government agency in charge both of protecting the forest and supplying wood to the country’s logging industry. Eighteen percent of Finnish forests are state-owned, nineteen percent belongs to industry and various foundations while the rest is otherwise privately owned. Parliament decides how much logging can take place but exact decisions on where are up to Metsähallitus.
“The productivity of the Finnish forest industry is historically low,” continues Niemi, “and thus we find completely irrational to log an old-growth forest in its natural state with such a high value for the biodiversity of the country, specially when it actually belongs to the state and the wood there doesn't have any special value for the industry.”
In spite of the vast extensions of lands with forests in Finland, only a 5 per cent of it remains in its natural state, half of which remains without the protected area status, as it is the case with Helarasi. This leaves the forest under constant threat of being logged.
According to the law, no field study needs to be conducted prior the logging of an area unless it is known that endangered species live in the area. In some cases, claim the Finnish Nature League, the forests are in such remote places that there isn’t information available about their environmental value.
“Together with volunteers from different backgrounds, when we hear that Metsähallitus plans to start logging, we go to the forest in question and collect information regarding the local species inhabiting the place and then we inform Metsähallitus of the exact coordinates using GPS technology so that they are aware of it and come to verify it,” says Risto Mustonen, the forest campaigner of the Finnish Nature League.
“The loggers mark the trees which contain environmental value due to age or for being home to a rare species of fungi or endangered animals and then they cut down everything around them,” explains Risto, evidently frustrated. “You don't need to be an expert to know that from an environmental point of view, that’s simply cynical and outrageous.”
 Habitat for 20-25 % of the forest dwelling species
Just by being there, the activists are slowing down the logging because safety regulations stipulate that the huge tree-harvester machines cannot be operated if there are people within a 70 metre radius of them. This can lead to tense stand-offs between the loggers and the environmentalists. The league claims that the loggers have operated the machines in close proximity to them.
Metsähallitus refused to grant an interview to give their point of view. However, their director Hannu Jokinen insists on their website that, ‘Our forestry complies fully with the requirements of sustainable development.’
The logging of Helarasi is supposed to be resumed on Monday and to be finished within a week.
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