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PRESS RELEASES

2002

January 8 The Forest and Park Service changes policy - Old-growth forests will be logged, under police protection if necessary The government-owned Forest and Park Service's (FPS) old-growth forest loggings in Hämeenvaara, Taivalkoski, continue. Today several police patrols arrived, as requested by the FPS, to safeguard the successful destruction of endangered forest nature.
>>> Press release

January 7 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 This morning, activists from the Finnish Nature League camped in the logging area of the government-owned Forest and Park Service in Hämeenvaara, Taivalkoski.The Finnish Nature League previously protested against loggings in the area in September. The government has, in connection with the decision on the protection of old-growth forests, required that the Service safeguard the ecological values of the area.
>>> Press release

2001

April 10 Logging in Finnish old-growth forests continues under PEFC -certification. Finnish environmental organisations publish new information on PEFC -certified logging in Finnish old-growth forests today. On January 29, Greenpeace and the Finnish Nature League published the report "Anything Goes? A Report on PEFC Certified Finnish Forestry", which showed that the Finnish PEFC -endorsed forest certification had not stopped the logging of forests of high conservation value. In April 2001, PEFC -certified logging of Finland's last old-growth forests continues. New examples of PEFC -certified logging in high conservation value forests as well as follow-up information on the cases presented in January are released today on www.pefcwatch.org.
>>> Press release April 10, 2001

April 5 Nature League activists protest ongoing PEFC-certified old-growth forest clearcutting today. Valuable old-growth forest is being logged by the state forestry enterprise in Hameenvaara, Taivalkoski, eastern Finland. Nature League activists are protesting on site today April 5.
>>> Press release April 5, 2001

March 16 Activists of the Nature League protest on site Finnish PEFC - certified old-growth clearcutting. The Forest and Park Service logs old-growth forests in Suomussalmi and in Taivalkoski, Finland. Nature league activists protest today on both logging sites. >>> Press release March 16

2000

November 7 The Forest and Park Service logs habitat of threatened Siberian jay in Southern Finland - NGOs protest at the site The Finnish Nature League is witnessing one of the first PEFC-certified clearcuttings in a valuable old forest. The habitat of regionally threatened Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus) is being logged at Riponeva area in Southern Finland. >>> Press release /// Photos

May 5 End to summer logging The campaign by NGOs demanded logging moratorium during the key period of reproduction of forest birds in Northern Europe. The appeal signed by over 25 000 people was handed to the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Kalevi Hemilä today. >>> Press release about the launch of the campaign

March 21 Philosopher Thomas Wallgren proposed to the board of directors of UPM-Kymmene Company gets credit for ending co-operation with APRIL >>> Press release

March 20 UPM-Kymmene Annual General Meeting faces great decisions Shareholders: Company to revise environmental policy on wood procurement / Election of board members - Surprise name instead of Ahtisaari? >>> Press release

March 14 Metsäliitto bought wood from a Russian company logging in a planned protection area in the Murmansk region According to the Kola Scientific Centre and local NGOs, Finnish forest company Metsäliitto purchased at least 12 000 cubic meters of timber from the planned Lapland Forest protection area. >>> Press release

February 24 End to summer logging Summer logging damages and disturbs forests, destroying nests and young of birds and other animals. The campaign's goal is a moratorium on logging during the key period of reproduction in northern Europe, 15th April ­ 31st July. >>> Press release

February 10 Forest and Park Service clearcuts old-growth forest - Eye-witnesses injured. - After two days of eye-witnessing clearcut of valuable Laamasenvaara forest, a harvester fells a tree on an activists and several activist are being attacked. - The Minister of the Environment calls halt for the logging. Read the release and see the pictures from the site

January 27 Finnish Nature League protests against old-growth forest logging. - Forest activists witnessed as state enterprise clearcuts valuable forest site in Eastern Finland. Read the release and see the pictures from the site

1999

November 24 Finnish Nature League accepted as a FSC-member. - The Finnish "certification" not preferred by European customers. Read the release.

October 10 "Where nature is being destroyed, also national culture and identity, our common heritage and source of power is being destroyed." Group "Artists for the Old-Growth Forests" consisting of artists of different fields organized in Helsinki September 23, 1999 a happening for the Finnish old-growth forests. An appeal to halt OG forest logging was published at the event. So far 152 appreciated experts in photography, theatre, music and literature have signed the appeal.

June 14 "The Finnish Forest Industry in Russia- on the Thorny Path Towards Ecological and Social Responsibility"- report has just been published. Read the report.

March 23 Shareholders demand that Stora Enso environmental policy be unified Stora Enso Annual General Meeting Read the release

February 12 Good economic outlook on Stora Enso - Old-growth forest logging and mess with certification double standards continue Read the release

1998

October 28 Finnish NGOs do not support "self-certification" by industry and owners Read the release

October 16 Forest activists in court for protecting old-growth forest from state loggings Read the release

October 16 Survey of old-growth forests in north-wesr Russia in 1997 - FNL report published Read more

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REPORTS

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2000

May 16 WEB SITE Certification Certification pages of the Finnish Nature League have been opened. >>> Certification site

May 10 MAP LAUNCH The Last of the Last - The Old-growth Forests of Boreal Europe Maps of the last remaining old-growth forests in Finland were launched. Finnish NGOs demand protection of old-growth forests. >>> More about the old-growth forest maps

April 5 WEB SITE The Finnish Nature League statement about old-growth forest situation in Finland >>> Finnish old-growth forests: An overview at the beginning of the new millennium

March 30 OPINION POLL According to an opinion poll the problems with the Karelian forest sector are due to exporting the best timber to Finland at low price. People are also eager to protect more forests >>> Read the results of the poll

March 11 WEB SITE Salla, Eastern Lappland The Forest and Park Service continues logging high altitude old-growth forests. The local reindeer herders are against the logging. - Background, photos and maps >>> Salla pages

March 10 WEB SITE Background on Finnish forests - Why protect old-growth forests? Basics about the necessicity of old-growth forests and old-growth forest protection: articles, different views, updating link list... >>> Background on Finnish forests

February 23 WEB SITE Case study: Stora Enso The AGM coming up on March 21 - Certification double standards - Wood procurement from old-growth forests - Stora Enso to acquire Consolidated Papers >>> Case study: Stora Enso

February 22 WEB SITE Case study: UPM-Kymmene The AGM coming up on March 21. Initiatives about wood procurement. - Merger with Champion. - UPM-Kymmene's connections with rainforest destruction. >>> Case study: UPM-Kymmene

January 9 REPORT Finnish forestry into the new millennium Ongoing clearcutting in old-growth forests in Eastern Finland. Read more and see photos.

1999

November 20 PHOTO REPORT Old-growth forest logging in Eastern Finland. Last update November 20. >>> Whole report

October MONTHLY REPORT Kainuu / Artists for the old-growth forests / Ecological landscape planning >>> Whole report

March MONTHLY REPORT Stora Enso / Malahvia / Greenpeace in Kukkuri / Russian logging moratorium. >>> Whole report

March 3 ACTION Logging in Finnish old-growth forests by the state enterprise Forest and Park Service continues. Greenpeace protesting old-growth logging in northeastern Finland. >>> Photo report /// See also press releases, background material and photos on Greenpeace web site.

February 6 DEBATE Finnish Minister of forestry accuses Friends of the Earth for running a "fraudulent postcard campaign". "The minister´s attempts to discredit FOE`s campaign distract from the core issue of whether logging in old-growth forests in Finland has ceased", says Friends of the Earth. More

January 9 NEWS Academy professor Ilkka Hanski writes in the main Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat: TOO MUCH OF EXTINCTION DEBT - One thousand species are in danger of disappearing because the old-growth forests of Southern Finland have been fragmented into pieces too small to live in. "If the aim is to prevent the mass extinction of old-growth forest species, all the remaining somewhat natural-state old-growth forests have to be left out of commercial utilization." The article translated by FNL.

January 7 ACTION Logging in Finnish old-growth forests by the state enterprise Forest and Park Service continues. STORAENSO and UPM-Kymmene are buying the wood from FPS. Finnish NGOs protesting in Malahvia wilderness

1998

November REPORT Clearcut in old-growth forests. Forest and Park Service clearcutting old-growth forests in Eastern Finland >>> Whole report

September RUSSIA Wilderness under threat. Road construction and large-scale logging plans in Paanajärvi >>> Whole report

 

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