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Press
release February 12, 1999
Good
economic outlook on Stora Enso - Old-growth forest logging and mess
with certification double standards continue
The forest
giant Stora Enso announced yesterday its results for 1998. Due to
the expenses of the merger the financial result was weaker than the
year before, but according to the company the synergy benefits of
the merger will be some 300 million euros from next year on and thus
the future of the company seems bright.
In Finland
company's environmental principles for wood procurement still allow
purchases from old-growth forests of nature protection value. Also
the certification policy of company's forests is different in Finland
and in Sweden.
Stora
Enso the biggest user of old-growth forest wood in Finland
Stora
Enso is the biggest wood purchaser of the state enterprise Forest
and Park Service FPS. The FPS forest holdings in Eastern and Northern
Finland include hundreds of valuable old-growth forests that the enterprise
logs as ordinary commercial forests.
Most
recently the old-growth forest logging in Malahvia in Eastern Finland
was made public.
Stora
Enso has committed to a vast old-growth forest logging moratorium
in Russian Karelia. The major Dutch paper purchasers have repeatedly
demanded an old-growth forest logging moratorium also in Finland.
Different
environmental criteria in Finland and in Sweden
Stora
Enso has FSC-certified its forests in Sweden. In Finland the company
promotes the so-called national certification, the level of which
is lower than the Swedish FSC-standard and which has no support from
the environmental organizations.
Environmental
NGOs in both countries wonder why the company functions differently
in countries with almost similar natural conditions.
More
information:
Forest
campaigner Matti Liimatainen, tel. +358-9-68 444 214, liimatainen(@)sll.fi
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