Criminal complaint filed over trees felled in flying squirrel habitat in Kruunupyy

A group of residents has filed a criminal complaint over the alleged unauthorised felling of trees used by flying squirrels at the planned site of the Arctial aluminium plant in Kruunupyy, Yle reported. The complaint alleges that the felling was commissioned by the municipality, which denies knowingly destroying flying squirrel habitat.

The complaint was filed by Carina Rudström, a councillor from the Swedish People’s Party. The flying squirrel is a protected species, and Finnish nature conservation law prohibits the destruction or deterioration of its breeding and resting sites.

Residents say that aspens suitable as flying squirrel habitat, including trees with cavities, have disappeared from municipal land between two nature surveys. Veterinarian Tomas Häggvik, one of the people behind the complaint, said only large aspens had been felled in the area.

“That is a sign that someone has tried to get rid of the flying squirrels so they would not prevent the construction of the plant,” Häggvik said.

An environmental impact assessment for the aluminium plant states that no flying squirrels or signs of them were found in the project area in 2024 or 2025. According to the assessment, cavity-bearing aspens recorded in surveys in 2022 and 2023 had been felled, while other groups of aspens had also disappeared.

Kruunupyy Municipal Manager Malin Brännkärr said the later nature survey identified one felled tree with a cavity, but said it had not stood on municipal land. She said the municipality was taking the criminal complaint seriously but believed it had acted correctly.

“We believe we have done things correctly,” Brännkärr said.

Arctial’s local manager, Jöran Sopo, told Yle that he had not yet heard about the criminal complaint. He said residents had raised concerns about possible flying squirrel sightings at a public environmental impact assessment meeting in June.

Sopo described the situation as unfortunate and said he was waiting for the authorities to establish what had happened.

“This is, of course, something that will take time to determine what is true and what is not,” he said.

Arctial is planning to build an aluminium plant costing billions of euros on land owned by Kokkola and Kruunupyy.