In a press release from yesterday, he says that 'reducing logging of Metsähallitus would not solve the present problems of reindeer herding livelihoods'.

The press release doesn't attempt to explain this - but as the logging practices Metsähallitus currently threaten to wipe out reindeer herding areas, it's easy to see how a reduction in logging would greatly help the future of reindeer herding.

Logging has the most impact on winter pastures and tree hanging lichen - but it also affects ground lichen. Waste from tree-felling covers large parts of the ground - and the lichen growing there. Heavy logging operations, like clearcut and seed tree, cause about a third of the ground surface area to be covered in slowly decaying waste, making digging difficult, as well as killing some of the lichen. These pastures can never fully recover - the next phase of tree felling covers the ground with more, fresh felling waste before the preceding waste has rotted. The lichen never has a chance to recover.

In addition, fragmentation of the landscape by logging and roads has dramatically altered reindeers’ natural movements, and in some cases has caused the collapse of the pasture rotation systems, forcing herding co-operatives into massive and expensive rearrangements. The sustainable use of pasture becomes difficult when large traditional grazing areas become unavailable. Reindeer herders are been forced into situations where reduced pastures are used too often - this means that their renewal can no longer be guaranteed.

Minister Korkeaoja also said that logging by Metsahällitus has dropped 40% in the past 30 years - due to protection and promotion of reindeer herding, while the amount of reindeer has more than doubled at the same time. Interestingly, figures from the Reindeer Herder's Association - itself a government-funded organization - say differently:

1970: 132,000

1980: 177,000

1990: 259,000

2003: 201,000

So while the numbers were higher - 15 years ago - there's actually been a reduction in stocks primarily because of the decline in suitable grazing areas.

On March 8, the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) announced that 'Finnish Forestry Minister's opinion on the forest conflict in Upper Lapland is one-sided' »

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry »
About the minister »

Juha Korkeaoja »

- Dave