A cold week over the winter holidays gave Finnish foresters a brief respite in logging, but it is no rescue, say Finland's forest management associations.
This winter, the most easily accessible sites in the forests of southern Finland have been harvested. The frost that prevailed in the second half of February made it possible to take timber from so-called winter felling sites in southern Finland as well, yet on wetter ground it was impossible to carry out logging work.
"Harvesting on winter felling sites has gone very badly. Not all of the mires and felling sites with wet soil conditions that had been earmarked for timber harvesting were worked. Last week the weather was at least somewhat acceptable, and we were able to take timber from the more accessible sites," says Kari Kannisto, managing director of the Southwest Häme Forest Management Association. By more accessible sites in winter he means, for example, stands along roads.
Winter in southern Finland, and in many other areas, has been exceptionally mild and not cold enough. It has been much the same in the central part of the country. Last week the temperature in the south of the country dropped below 10 degrees Celsius, but by the end of the week it turned milder.
Kari Kannisto stresses that the volume of timber harvested this winter is lower than during a "normal" winter in Finland. Many logging contractors have had to stop work, because in such conditions neither harvesters nor forwarders can be used. Air temperatures promise no improvement for logging operations.
"A lot of timber has been left uncut. There is a tendency to harvest stands only partially, cutting the most accessible spots and leaving timber along the edges and in the corners of forest compartments. That leads to pointless movement of machinery and extra strain. We will only clear up this mess, which for now is left standing in the forest, once a real winter arrives," Kari Kannisto emphasises. He predicts that the situation created by this winter's weather will also affect the spring. Logging that would normally take place in thaw conditions, which in Finland is usually done in March and April, has already been carried out during the winter.
A shortage of good harvesting sites
Saija Peltola, director of the Uusimaa Forest Management Association, believes that roughly a third of the harvesting volume planned for this winter under the association's management will be left uncut.
"This has been a truly poor winter. Every so often there is frost, and then temperatures climb back above zero again. When it comes to logging, you have to think almost a week ahead about where we will dare to take the machinery. That is reflected in timber volumes as well. There are plenty of harvesting sites suited to winter, but we cannot make use of winter's advantages," says S. Peltola. According to her, last week's frost eased the situation to the extent that it was possible to harvest timber along the edges of fields and along roads in poorer condition. "Roads and fields that have seen heavy traffic now freeze quickly, since there is almost no snow. Roads and fields with lighter traffic, on the other hand, become very slippery."
Saija Peltola says that in the sawlog and pulpwood market the mild winter is reflected in demand for "summer felling sites", because sawmills and mills need timber continuously. Kari Kannisto says the same: "In practice, trade is now taking place in the "summer felling sites" that we are harvesting at the moment. The price of timber has stayed surprisingly high for this time of year; it is clear that good harvesting sites are in short supply."
Precise planning
Kari Kannisto estimates that the situation with "winter felling sites" is most difficult on the Finnish coast. It improves towards the north and east of Tampere. Even in Pirkanmaa, however, the winter has been difficult, says Jussi Parviainen, director of the Pirkanmaa Forest Management Association. "This winter the weather has been untypical of Finnish winters. There has been little snow, and no prolonged periods of frost either. We have tried throughout to carry out logging at the planned volume, yet we have not been able to work the more difficult winter felling sites."
Logging and timber haulage had to be planned carefully. On roads that can only be driven when the ground is frozen, haulage was at times halted altogether while waiting for colder weather. Even so, according to Jussi Parviainen, the mild winter has had little effect on harvested timber volumes in the Pirkanmaa region. From the beginning of January to mid-February, the volume of roundwood cut has been about the same as usual.
"The less frost there is, the fewer problems there are with machinery. Logging goes faster when the trees are not heavily laden with snow. Here in Pirkanmaa the mild winter has both upsides and downsides," says Jussi Parviainen.
He stresses that, unlike its counterparts elsewhere in Finland, the Pirkanmaa Forest Management Association has been able to carry out logging work all winter. Forestry staff have not had to be temporarily laid off from work in the forest because of deep snow cover, as has usually happened.
Roundwood traders are waiting for spring, but trade in the remaining volume of timber harvested on winter felling sites is still going on. Jussi Parviainen expects good demand for roundwood, because winter began late and a larger volume was therefore harvested back at the end of last year.
A change of attitude
How can forest owners prepare for a winter as mild as this one? Kari Kannisto, Saija Peltola and Jussi Parviainen all urge forest owners to keep forest roads in good condition themselves.
"Logging could be carried out more actively during thaws as well; the significant problem is that roundwood landings are not located along roads suitable for timber lorries," Jussi Parviainen observes.
Kari Kannisto speaks of a change of attitude: "Here in Finland we have had three good winters in a row, so many forest owners are asking for winter felling sites on their own holdings to be harvested. Yet logging can go just as well, or even better, in a dry summer. In many places, harvesting conditions from June to August, and even into early September, are considerably better than they are at present."