Finland expects strong bilberry and lingonberry harvests, cloudberry yield varies

Finland is set for a strong bilberry harvest, particularly in the south, while lingonberries will be abundant nationwide, according to a new forecast by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

The main bilberry season has begun across most of the country, with pollination succeeding better than average in southern and central Finland, extending up to the Kuopio region. Warm weather in May and June has accelerated ripening.

Bilberry flowers were at typical levels in observation forests, but pollination was especially successful in southern and central regions, researcher Rainer Peltola noted in Luke’s statement.

Lingonberry flowering has ended nationwide, with conditions during the flowering period favoring pollination. The harvest is expected to ripen in the coming weeks.

Cloudberry picking has started, with ripe berries already reported as far north as southern Lapland. While flower counts were normal, pollinator conditions were weaker in key cloudberry areas in northern Finland and Lapland, leading to local variation in yields.

Peltola advised foragers to check wooded bogs for cloudberries if open areas yield little.