The Finnish Forest

摘要

Recently, I visited Finland for the first time, a visit arranged by the Nature Exchange branch of the Leonardo da Vinci Project, a European Union funded organisation aiming to bring the peoples of the Union together, in this case nature conservationists. The visit was based on the small town of Kuru, some 55 kilometres north of Tampere, which itself is 180 kilometres north of Helsinki. Although the primary purpose of the visit was to study nature conservation, and in my case the management of beaverin Finland, it was impossible to avoid learning something about the Finnish forest. Finland has a population of five million, who inhabit only a small part of its 338,145 square kilometres. Lakes take up about 10% of Finland. Of the remaining 90% two thirds are rated as productive forest. This is to say that the volume of timber that grows per hectare each year is greater than one cubic metre. Nine per cent of the 90% is rated as forest of low productivity (i.e. it has an annual increment of between 0.1and 1 cubic metre per year). A further 11 of the 90% is described as 'other land area for forestry'. Agriculture accounts for nine of the 90%, and built-up areas, roads, etc. amount to 4%. What a contrast to Scotland! Finland's climate is characterisedby moderately severe winters, and a mild summer. The annual precipitation at Tampere is 591.8mm. The forest is Boreal.