Vattuvaara old-growth forest area in municipality of Kuhmo was partially logged by Forest and Park Service in September-October 1996.

The importance of this large area (over 2000 hectares) near Russian border was founded in year 1992 during mapping of the state owned old-growth forests. Only small part of area was left ouside forestry and since year 1992 almost 2/3 of area has been logged with several small and large-scale loggings.

Clearcutting the old-growth. As loggings go on, small forest areas keep fragmenting more and more. Thin line of trees is left on the side of mire. Note the lonely retemption tree, hundreds of years old dead scots pine, left for biodiversity... Retemption trees are left e.g. for birds depending on old-growth forest. Many of old-growth species need uniform and large old-growth forest covered areas. Loggings in last fragments of OGF means that the basic problem, fragmenting, still remains.

Clearcutting the old-growth. On the background you can see earlier loggings from years 1990-1994.

Photos by the Finnish Nature League / Matti Liimatainen