VANISHING OLD-GROWTH FORESTS
IN RUSSIA: Background
www.luontoliitto.fi/forest/russia/background.htm

The Finnish forest industry in Russia

The vast majority of the old-growth forests remaining in Europe are located in the North of European Russia. These Russian forests have been considered as an exhaustible source of cheap raw material for the West European forest industry. In the area, the role of the Finnish industry is predominant. About 75 % of all roundwood exported from the area goes to Finland.

The Finnish Nature League and Taiga Rescue Network published a report "The Finnish forest industry in Russia". The report describes the state of Russian forests and forestry, and the 22 Finnish companies working in the area in 1999. >>> The report

Survey of old-growth forests in North-West Russia. Areas investigated: Paanajärvi, Viena Karelia, Vuoksa and Vorob'evo. >>> The report and maps

Karelian newspaper "Oma Mua" (Own Country) writes about robbery by Finnish logging companies and corruption in Russian administration >>> The article

The Guardian: "Thousands of acres of historic forest in Karelia, on the Russian/Finnish border are being threatened by Finnish loggers, who are getting the wood at a fraction of the world price while making handsome payoffs to corrupt Russian bureaucrats." >>> The article

Green belt of Fennoscandia - A world heritage site?

The unique belt of old-growth forests along the Finnish-Russian border streching through three boreal vegetation zones.

The ecologically most important areas can be found on the eastern side of the border, but the most valuable of the Finnish old-growth forest areas are also situated at the same border. Together they form the Green Belt of Fennoscandia - reaching from the Gulf of Finland in the south to the Arctic Ocean in the north. >>> The Green belt pages

Kalevala national park

Kalevala is the name of the national epos of Finland. The stories originate from vast forest wilderness areas in Viena Karelia. Kalevala national park is planned in co-operation between Finland and Russia, on both sides of the border between the two countries.

Read the article "Treasures of culture and primeval forest" -Kalevala national park being planned in Viena Karelia by Ms. Riitta Nykänen >>> The article