Forest protection in southern Finland and Ostrobothnia. 2000.
Ministry of the Environment. The Finnish Environment 437. 284
p. (In Finnish)
Abstract: One of the first task called for in the Finland's
National Forest Programme was to appoint a large committee of
experts to find out possibilities to strengthen forest conservation
in southern Finland. The working group on the need for forest
protection in southern Finland and Ostrobothnia investigated the
state of forest protection in the south of Finland, and in the
south and southwest of the Oulu and Lapland provinces and has
suggested ways to improve protection. The assessment is based
on estimates of hemi-boreal, south-boreal and mid-boreal forest
protection as well as on ecological and biological nature conservation
research. The working group concentrated on the state of and degrees
of protection for heath forests, herb-rich forests, broad-leaved
deciduous forests, coniferous forests on eskers, bog woodlands,
forests in the archipelago and on the coast, shore forests, and
forests of cultural landscapes. Additionally, the working group
examined the habitat requirements of threatened forest species
and forests species with declining populations, risk factors and
the need for protection in these parts of Finland. In the assessment,
the working group considered the structure and dynamics of forests,
the effects of fragmentation and loss of habitats, the planning
of networks of protected areas and the restoration of forests
in Finland. Evaluations of the importance of forests that need
to be protected and of other valuable forest habitats were based
on the revised recommendations and methods for the management
of forests, and on the Forest Act and the Nature Conservation
Act. The working group believes that threatened forest species
and forest species with declining populations whose natural distribution
is concentrated in the hemi-boreal, south-boreal or mid-boreal
zones are not protected under the present network of protected
areas in southern Finland and Ostrobothnia. In these parts of
Finland additional protection is needed, especially for herb-rich
forests, rich heath forests, hardwood swamps, forests in a natural
or seminatural state, and species dependent on these habitats.
According to the working group, forest protection in southern
Finland and Ostrobothnia should be improved both in the short
and long term. The aim of forest protection in the short term
(under 20 years) is to arrest quickly the decline in species'
populations and the loss of habitats. The main goals of improving
forest protection, however, are set in the long term (several
decades). In this case, the aims are to maintain the natural diversity
of forests in these parts of Finland, and to start evaluating
the need for and methods of restoration. The working group believes
that the protection of forest diversity should be promoted in
all forests in southern Finland and Ostrobothnia, regardless of
their use. The management of commercial forests in accordance
with present methods and recommendations probably reduces the
need for new protected areas in the long term.
Keywords: Habitat protection, Restoration, Forest Ecology,
Network of protected areas, Commercial forest, Threatened species.
[Back]