An unprotected natural forest was found in Finland

A state forest has been found in several areas of Finland that has not yet been protected. A natural forest working group supported by the Kone Foundation has been looking for these areas. The work will continue this year.

The areas found were presented on Thursday. Large, unprotected forests rich in natural values ​​were found in the Taivalkoski and Northeast Lapland regions, among others. There is also an unprotected valuable forest in connection with Lake Helvetinjärvi and Seitseminen National Parks. Discoveries have been made elsewhere as well. Throughout the year, they have been introduced, for example On Twitter.

According to data published on Thursday, 64 per cent of Finns fairly or completely agree that Finland’s last natural forests must be protected without delay, and the majority supports the ban on felling state-owned old-growth forests proposed by researchers.

The survey was conducted by the Economic Survey at the request of environmental organizations.

In addition, 63 per cent of Finns hope that there is as much natural forest as possible at least 10 kilometers from home.

– Old and diverse natural forests are important to Finns. The majority would like to live as close to natural forests as possible. For this to happen, the protection of the last natural forests is in a hurry, the press release says Juha AromaaGreenpeace Norden ‘s Deputy Country Manager for Finland.

When looking at the results for all age groups, all educational backgrounds, all professional positions and all provinces except Northern Savonia, the majority is in favor of protecting natural forests, the organizations say.

Requirement to ban logging

In addition to the protection of natural forests, the majority of respondents are in favor of imposing an immediate ban on the felling of old state-owned forests even before a permanent protection decision is made. The Finnish Nature Panel, which is made up of leading researchers in various disciplines, has suggested that additional forest protection in Finland should start immediately from state-owned old-growth forests and ban them from being harvested until the EU’s biodiversity strategy target is met. According to the survey, 68 percent of respondents strongly or completely agree with the logging ban.

– An immediate ban on the felling of old state-owned forests is an important measure in slowing down the loss of nature. Finnish forest nature is depleting at an alarming rate, and natural forests are still being felled even on state lands, says the chairman of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation Harri Hölttä in the bulletin.

Desire to live near the forest

The survey also looked at the willingness of Finns to live as close to natural forests as possible. 63% of respondents would like a natural forest less than 10 kilometers from their own home. As many as 84 percent of Finns wanted a distance of less than 50 kilometers.

The same question was last asked of Finns in a survey commissioned by WWF in 2001 and carried out by Gallup Finland. At that time, 47 percent wanted a distance of less than 10 kilometers, and 72 percent of respondents wanted a distance of less than 50 kilometers. In just over 20 years, the numbers have grown significantly.

– Natural forests must be protected evenly throughout Finland, but the situation is particularly alarming in the southernmost part of Finland, where unprotected natural forests on state lands are under constant threat of felling, says WWF Secretary General Liisa Rohweder.

Protected forests in the Helvetinjärvi-Seitseminen area and valuable forests now discovered. Ari Aalto