Finnish landowner fined over €30,000 for destroying protected flying squirrel habitat

A district court in Central Finland has ordered a landowner and a timber harvesting rights holder to pay more than €30,000 in compensation for illegally clearing a protected flying squirrel habitat in Luhanka in 2021, Yle reports.

The Central Finland District Court ruled that the two men—one the owner of the forest property, the other both the planner and rights holder of the logging operation—acted with gross negligence by failing to preserve sufficient tree cover for the endangered species. Both received fines of just over €1,000 and were ordered to cover legal costs. The landowner must additionally forfeit over €30,000, the estimated financial gain from the illegal logging.

Authorities had previously warned the men in writing about the presence of flying squirrels on the 13-hectare site, providing a map of observed habitats. Despite instructions to await a spring survey to define exact protection zones—required under Finnish nature conservation law—the logging proceeded, leaving only about 30 aspen trees standing. Flying squirrels rely on dense aspen groves and hollow trees for nesting and resting, typically requiring roughly three hectares of forested area per habitat.

The court emphasized that the defendants ignored explicit guidance from the Central Finland ELY Centre, the regional environmental authority. The ruling is not yet final and may be appealed.

Flying squirrels and their habitats are strictly protected under Finnish law, with destruction of their environments prohibited. The species is classified as endangered.