Green gold

With the feeling of Spring in the air we decided to visit the Summer cottage yesterday to check up on the state of the forest after the long but mild winter which we have just been enjoying.

Finnish forests are known here as "Green gold" because of the continuing importance our forests have in Finnish industry. Almost 80% of the Finnish landmass is covered by forests and the wood industry is one of the major sources of export. There are almost 30 different tree species here in Finland and our forest's are made up pf the three most common Spruce, Pine and Birch forests.

Although we own our forests, we are state funded which means that we get support from the state which goes towards the upkeep of our forest. Included in this support, we receive information and advice for upkeep of the forest. An inspector comes every few years to check that the forest is growing healthily and to give advice as to when or if the the forest has to be thinned, or if any other action has to be taken. In return for all this help, when any of our forests are felled the trees are sold to the state. A part of the money received goes towards the felling company and re-planting.

On Boxing day 2011, we suffered a very big storm here in South Finland and a lot of forests were blown down. Our forest did not escape the damage and we lost many trees. The average age of a forest to be felled is considered to be about 70 years, and as one of our forests was about that age we decided that it should be felled. This took place during the winter of 2013.

Trees are left growing to give seeds to the forest. Most of the trees felled were Spruce trees and it was decided that the Pine trees should be left.

The logs were then collected together on the field waiting to be taken away, most of the logs went to construction whilst others went to the paper industry.

The forest was re-planted in May 2013, it is important to remember that for every tree cut, two are planted. When checking the saplings this year, we found that they are nearly all growing well and have survived the winter.

Now that the saplings are established, the real work begins. In their early lives the saplings are what we call shade trees, which means they grow best in the shadows of other plants. But as the trees grow they need more light, so all unwanted vegetation has to be cut back so that the forest is pure. This will involve many hours of work but at the end of the day, it is more "Green Gold" for Finland.