Clickable map of
excursions 
EXCURSIONS
The 18 Post-Congress Excursions will start from Tampere on Saturday afternoon, 12 August, or on Sunday morning, 13 August. Eight of the excursions are to the neighbouring countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the Baltic Countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). The destination of most of the excursions in Finland is Helsinki. Some of the excursions end at local airports with good connections to Helsinki and elsewhere. The final destination of all the excursions to Russia is Finland. The excursions to the Nordic and Baltic Countries end at international airports in those countries.
The excursion fee covers full board, admission, transportation and accommodation in twin or double-bed rooms. There is a limited number of single rooms against an extra charge.
Appropriate outdoor clothing (raincoats, light jackets, walking shoes or rubber boots, etc.) is recommended.
A visa is required of most foreign nationals travelling to Russia and the Baltics. Some will also need a visa for the Scandinavian Countries (Sweden, Norway and Denmark). You will receive detailed information on the visa requirements with the confirmation letter.
The Post-Congress Excursion fee does not include medical care or travel insurances. The organisers are not responsible for injuries or losses suffered by delegates or accompanying persons, nor for lost or damaged luggage or personal belongings.
Vaccination against diphtheria is recommended for persons going to Russia.
1 US dollar equals to about 4.4 Finnish markka (FIM) (22. May, 1995).
You can check for the current exchange rate from
Kurt Swanson's currency converter at Lund or from
Koblas Currency Converter at GNN.
For further information on Post-Congress Excursions, please contact CONGREX
To get detailed information on the tours click the map icon below or use the Excursion list below. Check excursion vacancies here.
Clickable map of
excursions EXCURSIONS
MULTIPLE-USE FORESTRY IN THE SOUTHWESTERN ARCHIPELAGO
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 14:00
Route: Tampere - Nuutajärvi - Turku - Dragsfjärd - Turku - Mariehamn
- Helsinki (see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 15 August, 19:00
Transportation: bus, boat, airplane
Duration: 4 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 4,900
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Technical topics: Participants will see both operational small-scale family forestry and forest management for recreation and nature conservation in southwestern Finland and Åland, ecological conditions in archipelago forests, multiple-use management in recreational areas, preserving the biodiversity in private forestry and logging in island conditions.
Other attractions: A visit to a glass factory, dinner in the medieval Turku Castle, scenic boat cruise in the Archipelago National Park, information on the autonomy of Åland.
FORESTRY IN THE LAKE DISTRICT OF PIRKANMAA
Departure: Tampere, 13 August, 10:00
Route: Tampere - Valkeakoski - Luopioinen - Pälkäne - Tampere - Helsinki
(see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 15 August, 23:00
Transportation: rowing boat, bus
Duration: 3 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 3,700
Accessories: Proper clothing for camping needed. Camping equipment and bedding provided.
Accommodation: two large field tents
Technical topics: Participants will row a traditional large wooden rowing boat for three days on the clear-water l akes near Tampere. The distance covered is about 50 km. Good level of fitness is required, although the exercise is only moderately demanding. Technical visits: forest vegetation, silvicultural methods, small-scale family forestry, logging, wood transport, forest history, and nature conservation near the lake shore. A mobile camp with complete equipment.
Other attractions: A camp fire every evening. Beautiful scenery. Meeting colleagues in a special environment!
WOOD PROCUREMENT AND FOREST INDUSTRIES IN FINLAND
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 15:00
Route: Tampere - Orivesi - Jyväskylä - Joensuu - Savonlinna - Helsinki
(see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 17 August, 23:00
Transportation: bus
Duration: 6 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 4,700
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 800
Technical topics: Harvesting and transport technology in typical circumstances for Finland will give an up-to-date view of short-wood methods and fully mechanized logging. Visits to mills will show the connection between wood procurement and forest products. Training of the forestry workers will be shown and other educational aspects discussed.
Other attractions: The cultural programme will include visits to historically significant places such as Lusto Forestry Museum and Olavinlinna Castle.
MECHANICAL WOOD INDUSTRY AND ITS PRODUCTS
Departure: Tampere, 13 August, 08:00
Route: Tampere - Lahti - Mikkeli - Imatra - Lappeenranta - Kotka - Helsinki
(see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 18 August, 15:00
Transportation: bus
Duration: 6 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 4,900
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 800
Technical topics: Visits to different mechanical wood working factories, to a logging site as well as to an integrated industrial enterprise. The excursion begins in Central Finland and moves southeast, ending in the Helsinki area, where the centre for higher education and research in the field of mechanical wood working industry will be visited.
Other attractions: Beautiful Finnish countryside will be seen and visits to tourist attractions will be made.
C A N C E L L E D !
INVENTORY OF FOREST RESOURCES AND SMALL-SCALE FORESTRY
Departure: Tampere, 13 August, 10:00
Route: Tampere - Jyväskylä - Lahti - Helsinki (see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 15 August, 17:00
Transportation: bus
Duration: 3 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 2,800
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 400
Technical topics: Methods used in the Finnish national forest inventory; forest management methods in small-scale family forestry, in municipal forests and industrial forests; methods and results in growth and yield research and its connections with practical forestry.
Other attractions: An art exhibition, beautiful scenery and a lake cruise in Central Finland, a traditional Finnish countryside meal with "sahti" beer in the open air and exercise facilities at a popular sports centre.
GENETIC RESOURCES AND FOREST REPRODUCTIVE MATERIAL
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 14:00
Route: Tampere - Jyväskylä - Saarijärvi - Varkaus - Punkaharju - Imatra
- Helsinki (see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 16 August, 19:00
Transportation: bus
Duration: 5 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 4,200
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 600
Technical topics: Tree breeding from natural stands to the production of genetically improved planting stock, experiments on ecological genetics and biotechnology, gene conservation, pollen contamination in seed orchards, seed handling, progeny testing, pest resistance, and gene transfers.
Other attractions: The route runs through the Lake District. Cultural events, such as a visit to Retretti Art Centre and Lusto Forestry Museum.
FORESTRY AND NATURE CONSERVATION IN THE SAIMAA LAKE DISTRICT
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 14:00
Route: Tampere - Savonlinna - Punkaharju - Imatra - Helsinki (see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 15 August, 19:30
Transportation: bus, lake boat
Duration: 4 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 4,200
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 500
Technical topics: Small-scale family forestry and wood transportation, operations that promote biodiversity, and the protection of endangered species and lake ecosystems, management of forests growing on eskers in the Punkaharju nature protection area and forest research activities in the region. The route runs over beautiful forested eskers and through Lake Saimaa with its numerous islands.
Other attractions: A visit to Linnansaari National Park, Retretti Art Centre and Lusto Forestry Museum as well as to Savonlinna with its medieval Olavinlinna Castle.
C A N C E L L E D !
FORESTRY AND FOREST RESEARCH NORTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 15:00
Route: Tampere - Rovaniemi - Kittilä - Kolari - Muonio - Skibotn (Norway)
- Kittilä (Finland) (see Map)
Final destination: Kittilä Airport, 17 August, 20:00
Transportation: airplane, bus
Duration: 5 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 8,000
Visa: Some foreign nationals require a visa for Norway
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 950
Technical topics: The ecology of northern boreal forests and the human impact on it, demonstrations of forest harvesting and management, forest decline and diseases, small-scale family forestry in northern conditions, the biodiversity of forests, the timber line on the northern fells, nature protection and recreational services, reindeer management, and palsa mires.
Other attractions: The Arctic Circle, the Arctic Centre and the Provincial Museum of Lapland, Särestöniemi Art Gallery, Levi Swimming Centre, the Fell Lapland Nature Centre, Lappish (Saami) culture, and the Arctic Ocean.
PROTECTION AND MULTIPLE USE OF THE NATURAL RESOURCES IN FINNISH LAPLAND
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 15:00
Route: Tampere - Rovaniemi - Kemijärvi - Sodankylä - Ivalo - Utsjoki - Karigasniemi
-Angeli - Ivalo (see Map)
Final destination: Ivalo Airport, 17 August, 18:00
Transportation: airplane, bus
Duration: 6 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 6,600
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 750
Technical topics: The Finnish nature protection system (national parks, nature reserves, wilderness areas, etc.) and different ways of using the natural resources in Finnish Lapland, a cross-section of Lapland's forests and other ecosystems and their multiple use, including timber production, tourism, recreation, reindeer management, fishing and hunting.
Other attractions: The Arctic Circle, the Arctic Centre and the Provincial Museum of Lapland, Saariselkä recreation centre and baths, Lappish (Saami) culture, the Atlantic salmon of the River Tenojoki.
BROADLEAVED FOREST MANAGEMENT FOR MULTIPLE USE
Departure: Tampere, 13 August, 08:00
Route: Tampere - Inkoo - Turku - Stockholm (Sweden) - Kristianstad -
Malmö - Copenhagen (Denmark) (see Map)
Final destination: Copenhagen, 19 August, 08:00 <
Transportation: bus, ferry
Duration: 6 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 7,100
Visa: Some foreign nationals require a visa for Sweden and Denmark
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 1,200
Technical topics: A visit to an Energy Park and a farm with willow husbandry for energy production in Finland, the management of deciduous forests from various point of view and energy forestry, deciduous trees in the maintenance of the biological diversity and as a part of the cultural landscape in Sweden, and deciduous forest practices in Denmark.
Other attractions: Turku Castle and Old Turku, Visingö Castle on Lake Vättern, Carl von Linne's birthplace, Copenhagen Amusement Park (Tivoli).
FORESTRY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORDIC COUNTRIES
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 14:00
Route: Tampere - Turku - Stockholm (Sweden) - Garpenberg - Elverum (Norway)
-Lillehammer - Oslo (Norway) (see Map)
Final destination: Oslo, 17 August, 18:30
Transportation: bus, ferry
Duration: 6 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 5,600
Visa: Some foreign nationals require a visa for Sweden and Norway
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 750
Technical topics: Small-scale family forestry in Finland. A short seminar on the ferry from Turku to Stockholm. Logging by small forest owners, the technology for small-scale forestry and forest energy systems, and visit to a sawmill in Sweden. A rural development scheme and the activities of the Forest Owners' Association, including their extension work and cable logging operations in Norway.
Other attractions: Dinner at the medieval Turku Castle, scenic ferry cruise in the archipelago, a visit to the Forestry Museum at Elverum, Norway.
FORESTRY AND BIODIVERSITY
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 15:00
Route: Tampere - Vaasa - Umeå (Sweden) - Mo i Rana (Norway) - Umeå (Sweden)
(see Map)
Final destination: Umeå Airport, 18 August, 12:00
Transportation: bus, ferry
Duration: 7 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 6,300
Visa: Some foreign nationals require a visa for Sweden and Norway
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 1,100
Technical topics: Intensive forest management and the biological diversity in the Nordic countries: Ecologically sustainable forestry in boreal regions, from the coastal lowlands in western Finland, across the Gulf of Bothnia, through wilderness areas in Swedish Norrland, over the alpine tundra of the Scandinavian Mountain Ridge, to the Rana Fiord on the Atlantic coast in Norway, back to Sweden and on to Arjeplog, Arvidsjaur and Skellefteå.
Other attractions: Nordic scenery and forests, Vindelfjällen Nature Conservation Area, and the Museum of Forestry at Lycksele, fishing.
KOLA EXCURSION THROUGH FINNISH LAPLAND AND NORTHEASTERN NORWAY TO THE KOLA PENINSULA
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 15:00
Route: Tampere - Rovaniemi - Ivalo - Kirkenes (Norway) - Nikel (Russia)
- Murmansk (Russia) - Apatity (Russia) - Kandalaksha (Russia) - Salla - Rovaniemi
(Finland) (see Map)
Final destination: Rovaniemi Airport, 19 August, 18:00
Transportation: airplane, bus
Duration: 8 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 8,700
Visa: required for Russia, some nationals require a visa for Norway
Accommodation: economy class hotel, student hostel
Technical topics: The ecology of the arctic and alpine timber lines and the effects of air pollution on northern forest ecosystems, an arboretum of northern coniferous tree species, field studies of the effects of air pollutants and heavy metals on ground vegetation and water, abiotic and biotic forest damage, arctic and alpine vegetation, reindeer husbandry, and a presentation of the research activities of the Kola Science Centre.
Other attractions: The Arctic Circle, Santa Claus Village, the Arctic Centre and the Provincial Museum of Lapland, gold panning, the Atlantic salmon, Lappish (Saami) culture.
C A N C E L L E D !
FOREST EXCURSION TO ST. PETERSBURG
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 14:00
Route: Tampere - Lappeenranta - Vyborg (Russia) - St.Petersburg
(Russia) - Helsinki (Finland) (see Map)
Final destination: Helsinki, 18 August, 08:00
Transportation: bus
Duration: 6 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 6,500
Visa: required for Russia
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Single room extra: FIM 1,150
Technical topics: Russian forest research and higher education in St. Petersburg, with emphasis on silvicultural research (drainage, reforestation, thinning, and timber production including the development of a Larix stand over the centuries), research and management of the recreation forests of St. Petersburg and monitoring of the forest conditions in a Finnish-Russian joint project, as well as forest management in small-scale family forests in Finland and in large Russian forestry enterprises.
Other attractions: Visits to world-famous Hermitage and to a theatre; sightseeing in St. Petersburg with its numerous historical and architectural monuments.
FORESTRY IN THE CHANGING SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE BALTIC COUNTRIES
Departure: Tampere, 12 August, 14:00
Route: Tampere - Helsinki - Tallinn (Estonia) - Riga
(Latvia) - Kaunas
(Lithuania) (see
Map)
Final destination: the program ends in Kaunas on 18 August, 09:00, but the bus will return to Tallinn (at 17:00 in Tallinn)
Transportation: bus, ferry
Duration: 6 days
Excursion fee/person: FIM 6000
Visa: required for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania<
Accommodation: tourist class hotel
Technical topics: In Estonia: Through the green zone to Lahemaa National Park with experimental forests and traditions and culture. University of Tartu, private forestry and landscape protection. In Latvia: High-quality stands of indigenous species, forest management in wet areas, afforestation of sand dunes, nature conservation and management methods in protected areas and forestry on private lands. In Lithuania: Mixed forest stands, regeneration, thinnings, shelterwood cuttings and saw milling at Birzai Forest Enterprise. Experiments with spacing and mixed plantations, seed orchards, virgin forests and continuous inventories at the Forest Research Institute.
Other attractions: Tallinn, Tartu, Riga and Kaunas. Visits to the Forest Museum and a fishing village, Gauja National Park, Birzai Castle, the National Art Gallery. Folk music and dancing.
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