Pan European Forest Clearcutting: PEFC-certified old-growth forest destruction in Finland 2002

Photographs in this page: Finnish state-owned old-growth forest in Umpinainen area being clearcut in February 2002

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Umpinainen area in the municipality of Suomussalmi, region of Kainuu, estern Finland. Logger is the Finnish state forest enterprise Metsähallitus.

According to the old-growth forest mapping report by Metsähallitus (1995), the area is an "uniform area in natural state" and it hosts 3 red-listed bird species and 2 old-growth forest indicator species. The area includes almost 2 kilometres of streams in natural state and several valuable key habitats.

Umpinainen forest is included in the Protection Program for Old-Growth Forests in Northern Finland as an area whose ecological value should be preserved by Metsähallitus (Decision by the Council of State, 1996).

Despite of the ecological values, the whole area was fragmented with tens of hectares of clearcuts. Out of 74 hectares of old-growth forest, 50 hectares was clearcut.

StoraEnso, UPM, ULEA, Kuhmo, Kontio and Vapo Timber bought the wood.

Other case studies 2002: Honkanen / Harjala / Jannepuro / Katajasuo / Hameenvaara

Old-growth wood on its way to Finnish mills. Kainuu region, eastern Finland, February 8, 2002 Clearcutting of Finnish state-owned old-growth forests is done by heavy forest machines
Birch wood piles labelled for STORAENSO SIberian jay lives in old-growht forests.
Clearcut by Metsähallitus Pulp wood for StoraEnso Veitsiluoto mills or Metsa-Botnia pulp mill in Kemi
Spruce for UPM Kajaani mill Metsähallitus: destroying Finnish forests.