Hello bloggers,
I hope all is well with you and you are coping well with the downturn in osprey activity. We are all getting ready for the winter now with the weather changing just out of the summer. I have a little bit of a different blog for you this time as I have been away on an Erasmus+ Mobility exchange program in Finland to look at and compare their forestry. The project was funded through the Erasmus+ programme and developed by ARCH and its consortium partners. This course gave me a greater experience of what the Caledonian pine forest could look like and how we are better able to engage people in nature and conservation. I wanted to use this experience to explore my understanding and share what I learned with all of you.
Firstly, I suppose it is a good question to ask why Finland is such a good place to learn about forests and their regeneration. The answer lies in the history of the country.
Finland has one of the highest forest covers anywhere in the world with 75% of the country being forested. Though this was not always the case. A history of slash and burn agriculture saw as much as 75% of Finland’s natural forest disappear leading up to the early 1900s. Foresters were concerned about this downward trend of forest cover and responded by encouraging planting and regeneration. This has created a relatively young forest ecosystem that is used widely in forestry production with only 2.5% considered to be 'old-growth' forests (older than 150 years).
Even though the forest is exploited for timber, Finland is still considered one of the most naturally intact ecosystems present in Europe. The style of plantation uses mixed species woodland that would look very different to how we imagine densely packed single species forestry in Scotland. Not only does their forestry have a species-diverse set-up, but the presence of predators means there are a greater number of species found in their woodlands. Currently, Scotland has 18% forest cover with 2.5% considered 'old-growth' forest. Could Scotland resemble Finland in 200 years’ time?
On Abernethy, we are trying to mimic the ecosystem process of large predators through deer control to allow woodland regeneration. The absence of predators like wolves, lynx and bears is felt dramatically across our country. These species in Finland not only hunt browsing species but change their grazing behaviour, so they exert less browsing pressure on plants and trees.
While being shown through areas of woodland in Finland, the thick deciduous undergrowth was abundant and trying to compete for space under the shade of mature pines. Walking through Abernethy one cannot see the invisible presence of deer, only the absence of these species in the undergrowth. The Cairngorms Connect project has allowed us to address this disparity by funding deer stalking within the forest. Even though our focus is primarily on the forest expansion zone, being able to stalk within the forest will improve the diversity and abundance of other species.
The pressure of deer not only affects the presence of trees but possibly their shape too! One of the most surprising things to notice about birch trees in Finland is they all grow uniformly straight. They appear to have been created to sit in the background of postcards. Birch in the UK had been considered a pest species and removed from forestry due to their irregular growth. The only theory that I could think of being widely different between the countries is constant browsing. I believe this pressure from deer that birch must contend with in its earlier years withholds the easy upbringing afforded to their Finnish cousins. How different our forest might look if we were able to create a natural balance in our ecosystem.
This balance would also be able to accommodate more species in the forest. The diversity of species that one might see in Finland I think added to the excitement of a place. I had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter that made me feel more connected to nature. It was probably the moment I had to admit to myself that I had become a proper birder!
Trying to find my bearings around the lake house accommodation led me to walk through a field surrounded by forest on all sides. Like Scotland, the Finns have a version of the Right to Responsible Access (this is known as Everyman’s Right) so I was able to explore so long as I was being sensible. I was walking towards the lake when I first heard an ethereal call. I knew instantly what I had heard but couldn’t really believe it. Then the echoing screech rang out once again. I knew I wasn’t mistaken. As my heart started to race, I witnessed the elegant flight of two Eurasian cranes flying over my head. Our forest shares so many similarities with Finland that it took me by surprise to see this species. The UK lost all of its cranes in the 1600s due to significant loss of wetland habitat and hunting of the species. Finland is the land of lakes and saunas, and cranes have ample habitat to thrive. We now have 200 cranes in the UK and one day this might be a common sight over around Loch Garten.
The importance of this diversity is not only creating resilience in our ecosystems, but it can improve our human connection to the nature around us. I feel this is one of the reasons people feel connected to Abernethy and why we have a responsibility to protect it for the future. If we are able to make others feel the way I felt when watching those cranes, then we are one step closer to showing people the importance of nature. These experiences seem to be commonplace in Finland and could be the driving reason behind why so many Finnish people appear to have an innate connection with the forest.
This could not have been more evident than when we were taken pigeon shooting by our hosts. Although this doesn’t seem to be the best thing for the more feint hearted of the group (me), we didn’t in fact manage to shoot anything. Our hosts believe that we had startled the scout pigeon before we had got fully settled behind our hide. This gave us ample opportunity to listen to the echoing peeps of black woodpeckers and the suspicious squawks of jays that I strongly believe were in cahoots with the pigeons.
As we watched the sun rise slowly over the morning, I understood more clearly the other benefits that hunting had to offer outside of putting food on the table. Hunting is just another form of being connected to nature. This activity creates experience and connection to the land that you require to live. Being a successful hunter also means being a good naturalist, able to identify bird calls and the species around you.
Two of the students that guided us owned forests and were experienced in hunting for food. This is a common practice in Finland with the country boasting the highest population of hunters anywhere in Europe at 6% of the population. They are not only connected to the land but reap the benefits a diverse ecosystem provides. With a population density of 16 per square kilometre, nature connection seems to be very accessible within the country. This is the biggest disparity that we face in the UK and I believe is why many more feel disconnected from the natural world in Britain.
Looking at the successes of Finland gave me a greater understanding of why we are where we are in the UK and how we are going to change it. At the moment the UK is in an uphill struggle to get people to care about nature. For people to care, they need to experience nature and the reason that we do not have enough people caring is that we don’t have enough nature to show them. It’s a real chick and egg situation.
The RSPB on Abernethy is doing its best to create more nature while also trying to engage people to care about these things. Our lives would be much easier if nature was found all around us like it seems to be in Finland. We don’t however have the lower population densities needed to make that possible.
We also struggle as a society to address the value of our natural heritage because most land is owned by a small minority of people across the UK. This land use rarely accommodates everyday people to hunt on our land or undertake forestry work. These activities create a more multifaceted benefit that appeals to a wider sector of the population. I believe that the conservation of nature has become a hobbyist activity that prevents commerce in the UK due to having such little natural space. I am not advocating for everyone to come and shoot deer and cut trees on Abernethy, but I can understand more deeply why we need more wild places, and nature connections and how the benefits of the land of Finland have set in motion how people behave and feel towards its protection.
Do you think that I have hit the nail on the head or is my thinking flawed? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!
Hi Fergus, sounds like you had an amazing experience! I think you have hit the nail on the head. I feel I have been really fortunate to have lived in the north of Finland for five years and believe I have never felt as surrounded and part of nature, aware of the weather and seasonal changes, then during that time. As you described, not only is there more nature, and in particular forests, and less people than in the UK, it is also much more part of everyday life. Hunting, fishing and foraging is more commonplace, Finns have their regular sauna followed by a dip in the lake, more houses, tools, items are made out of wood,... I also agree with your link to forest ownership. 60% of Finnish forests are called 'family forests', 26% state owned and 8% industrial private. With 620 000 forest owners (14% of the population) more people own forest and they tend to be small size, rather than the few owning large holdings Resources and ownership - Forest.fi Forest ownership in Finland - Forest.fi Though we can't (indeed!) all start shooting deer and cutting down trees in the UK, and the nature that we do have here also needs to be protected, I believe we could also definitely take a leaf (or is it a pine needle?) out of their book when we think about our future :)