APRIL
RIO CONVENTION 10 YEARS
Finnish
Nature League appeals to the minister of finance Sauli Niinistö
so that the Rio convention would finally be implemented in Finnish
forests and forestry. In order to protect all the valuable forests,
a new financing programme has to be made.
See photos
of FNL demonstrations at the ministry of finance (April 12) and headquaters
of Forest and Park Service (April 5). FPS
is the main logger of Finnish old-growth forests. Old-growth forest
logging continues as long as the profit target of FPS remains too
high.
>>> Rio 10 years
FEBRUARY
Greenpeace has been stopping old-growth forest logging by state enterprise
Forest and Park Service several times in February. They also demonstrated
outside the FPS Oulu office, hanging a banner stating "Hands
off of ancient forests". Forest giant Stora Enso is the biggest
buyer of FPS timber. "Stora Enso papier kommt von hier"
is the message to the German customers of Finnish forest industry.
>>>
Greenpeace forest pages
>>>
Finnish government destroys its own ancient forests Press release
Feb. 20
JANUARY
Forest activists have been camping at the Hämeenvaara
forest site since January 7 where the state enterprize Forest and
Park Service (FPS) logs old-growth forest. FPS has already several
times asked the police to come to the site to make sure it can log
the valuable forest. In the 1990s the Forest and Park Service stated
through its CEO, Eero Tilli, that it will not "log forests under police
protection". Recent events show that the FPS has changed its policy.
According
to inventories by the FPS itself, the area is an exceptionally valuable
old-growth forest. "Ministry
of environment is responsible for monitoring that the old growth forest
protection programme is put into practice. It is the authority responsible
for the matter." says Olli Manninen from the Finnish Nature League.
>>>
The Forest and Park Service changes policy - Old-growth forests will
be logged, under police protection if necessary Press release
Jan. 8
>>> Government-owned
old-growth forest is again felled in Taivalkoski - The high profit
target of the Forest and Park Service allows no admissions for nature
Press release Jan. 7
>>>
Case study: Hämeenvaara SEE RECENT PHOTOS
