Greenpeace criticises UPM logging in century-old Puumala forest

Greenpeace has accused forest company UPM of cutting down a natural forest in Puumala, southeastern Finland, within a Natura protected area, Yle reports. UPM says the logging was carried out in accordance with the law.

Greenpeace said the felled forest contained trees more than 100 years old. The organisation described it as a diverse spruce forest with many old pines, standing dead trees and decaying wood.

Greenpeace forest specialist Matti Liimatainen said the organisation had wanted to negotiate the protection of the area with UPM. The parties agreed in writing to meet, but the meeting never took place.

“The meeting never happened, and the forest was logged,” Liimatainen said.

UPM says logging followed the law

UPM environmental and responsibility manager Tuomas Kara said the company cut down 1.6 hectares of forest at Pajukaarre this summer. He said the area had a long history of commercial forestry and no protection status that directly restricted forest use.

According to Kara, 0.4 hectares of the logging area lies within a Natura area whose primary protection objectives concern Lake Saimaa and the Saimaa ringed seal.

Kara said the logging complied with FSC certification requirements and Finnish law, and had not weakened the condition of protected habitats. Wider-than-usual buffer zones were left along the shore, along with retention trees, he said.

UPM and Greenpeace have generally been able to discuss issues smoothly, Kara said, but they did not reach an agreement over this logging site.

A forest use notification was submitted before the logging. Neither the Finnish Forest Centre nor the Permit and Supervisory Agency submitted comments, Kara said.

“We therefore do not expect any further action from the authorities,” he said.

Greenpeace says protection is insufficient

Liimatainen said the forest’s protection classification was not comprehensive enough. Although the forest is protected by the authorities, “careful logging” is allowed if it does not threaten the protection objectives.

“In practice, almost anything can be done in the area, and there are no restrictions on operations. Construction along the shores of Lake Saimaa is restricted, but forestry does not have similar rules,” Liimatainen said.

He did not expect the authorities to punish UPM for the logging. Instead, he said, the company could compensate for it by leaving another area unlogged.

Greenpeace and UPM have previously disputed logging in a Natura area in Puumala. A dispute lasting more than three years over logging in a protected forest parcel on Rokansaari ended in late summer when the municipality of Puumala bought the forest holding from the company.