Protection of private forests will continue on a voluntary basis
Peteri Orpo's Finnish government agreed last week on the criteria to be applied to old forest stands, as well as on how a semi-natural forest is to be defined in Finland. On state-owned land, forests meeting the criteria will be protected, while in private forests protection will continue on a voluntary basis through the Metso programme.
Under the government's decision, old stands are at least 100-140 years old, depending on the tree species. Depending on the stand type, they must contain at least 10-20 cubic metres of deadwood. The criteria used are the stand's origin, its structural diversity, so-called habitat trees and indicator species.
The decision states that the definition of an old forest does not apply to forests that are actively used for forestry
Biodiversity measures, such as the presence of decaying wood, do not make a stand an old forest. Likewise, extending the rotation period or continuous forest regeneration does not, under this definition, make an area an old forest.
The minimum area of old stands depends on how that area can be maintained within the surrounding forest landscape. On private land, for example, the minimum area may be four hectares in southern Finland and eight hectares in northern Finland, unless the area is naturally small. On state-owned land, areas smaller than 10 hectares that meet the old forest criteria may also be protected as part of the regional ecological network.
The proposal was criticised
The government submitted the proposal for consultation last summer. It also drew a great deal of critical feedback. As usual, environmental organisations considered the thresholds set for old forests to be too strict. Forest sector representatives, for their part, wanted it made clear that the definition of an old forest does not apply to forests used for commercial purposes. At least this wish of the industry appears to have been met.
"Protecting forests that meet the old forest criteria is one instrument among the full range of forest protection instruments. The decision on old forest criteria now makes it possible to identify the most significant forests in terms of their natural value, their rate of ageing and their age. Most of these forests are in eastern and northern Finland," Finland's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Sari Esja, said in a press release.
Under the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy, the criteria may be applied to forests owned by the state, by municipalities and by private companies; however, the state cannot require anyone to give additional protection to a forest that already meets the criteria.