Resident stocks a shelter after Metsähallitus ends maintenance

Metsähallitus has stopped or reduced maintenance at 154 rest stops across Finland, leaving shelters and fire pits without regular upkeep or firewood. The changes were reported by Yle.

One affected spot is Jousisalmi, a lean-to shelter in Kuhmo. After its woodshed was emptied when maintenance ended, local resident Markku Aittokoski and his wife brought a large sack of their own firewood for visitors to use.

“Many people were saddened when the maintenance ended, because these places have become important to them,” Aittokoski told Yle.

The shelter is used by local residents as well as tourists and anglers from around Finland. Since the firewood ran out, visitors have brought fuel from a nearby clear-cut area. Aittokoski has also seen damage to trees nearby, with bark stripped from birches.

The cuts stem from a long-running funding shortfall at Metsähallitus Nature Services. Its responsibilities have grown over the decades, but its permanent basic funding has not kept pace. The agency says it needs to adjust its finances by about five million euros by 2030, including in response to government productivity targets.

Hanna Ylitalo, a service manager at Nature Services, said the agency is having to focus its hiking services more narrowly. In Kuhmo, 26 rest stops have lost maintenance. The town has an unusually large number of outdoor recreation structures, many built over the years with employment funding. Metsähallitus still regularly maintains 37 rest stops there.

Ending maintenance does not mean shelters will be dismantled immediately. Jousisalmi’s roof and woodshed have been repaired in recent years, and its structures are expected to remain usable for some time. Metsähallitus will continue checking their safety; structures can remain in use as long as they are safe, while those in poor condition may eventually be closed or removed.

Metsähallitus is looking for new operators, such as municipalities or local associations, for about 60 to 70 outdoor recreation destinations. Partners already maintain 17. The agency and the City of Kuhmo have held preliminary talks about transferring some destinations, but no decisions or agreements have been made.

Aittokoski is cautious about whether associations can take on the responsibility. He works as an executive officer for the Kuhmo Game Management Association and said it can be difficult to find volunteers. The association also has statutory duties, he said, and such work is generally carried out by small groups.