Logging in Pahamaailma old-growth forests, October 2006

Pahamaailma, located close to the Finnish-Russian border in central Finland is a state-owned old-growth forest area with a record-high number of red-listed species. Only a part of the area has been protected.

In the autumn of 2006, Finnish government's forestry enterprise Metsahallitus has been logging in the area. StoraEnso Oulu mill has bought the wood from habitats of red-listed species. Hundreds of hectares of conservationally valuable forests in Pahamaailma -area remain acutely threatened by logging. Inventories made in three planned logging areas (to be logged in winter 2006-2007) revealed tens of individuals of endangered species, including two polypore species (Antrodia crassa, Skeletocutis jelicii), whose individuals are strictly protected by Finnish law.

Wood from old-growth forests of Pahamaailma is sold by Metsähallitus to numerous buyers, including Stora Enso mill in Oulu. Pahamaailma area is one example of the rare unprotected old-growth forests in the region of Kainuu in central/eastern Finland. Only about 2000 hectares of unprotected old-growth forests remain in this region, where about 5% of forests have been protected.

In March 2006, Metsahalitus logged old-growth forests in Malahvia in the same region. Also on that time the buyer of old-growth forest wood was Stora Enso Oulu mill. Logging continued in September 2006. Read more about Malahvia from here.

Logging in old-growth forests in Finland is certified by Finnish Forest Certification System, part of PEFC.

>>> Read more about red-listed species in Pahamaailma: statement by researcher Otto Miettinen (PDF)