Tapio Lindholm, Raimo Heikkilä
Press release after the field symposium (pdf format)Background information for media
The symposium organizers have provided the participants with a field guide (download) and additional background material (download).Themes: Mire conservation, utilization and restoration. Mire
development history, vegetation, flora and ecohydrology. Aapamires,
land uplift phenomena, IMCG past and future, Ramsar. Assessment of mire
conservation situation in Finland.
Venue: Finland from Lapland to southern coast
Theme: Conservation, biodiversity and restoration of mires
Venue: Southern Finland, Eerikkilä sports institute
in Tammela
Venue: Eerikkilä sports institute
Finland is located in northern Europe between 60° and 70° northern latitude and between 20° and 31° eastern longitude. The total area of Finland is 338 000 km2. 10% of the area is taken by 188 000 lakes. Of the land area forests take 60%, mires 30%, and cultivated areas and settlements 10%.
The climate in Finland is oceanic-continental, clearly influenced by the Gulf stream. The mean annual temperature varies between +5,5°C in the southwest and –2°C in the northwestern most tip of the country. The warmest month is July with mean temperature between 14 and 18 degrees in most of the country. Daily maximum temperatures can be up to 30 degrees in July. The coldest months are January and February with mean temperature between –4 degrees in the south and –15 degrees in Lapland. The climate is humid. The mean annual rainfall varies between 450-500 mm in the western coast and northern Lapland, and 750 mm in the southern coast and hill areas in eastern middle Finland. The most rainy months are July and August while January, April and May are the driest. The mean duration of snow cover in open ground is 110 days in southwestern Finland and 220 days in northern Lapland. The soil freezes in October-November and the ground frost melts in May-June. There is only sporadic permafrost in palsa mires and the highest treeless fell tops in northern Lapland.
Phytogeographically Finland belongs to the boreal coniferous zone, which is subdivided into hemiboreal, southern, middle and northern boreal zones. In northern Lapland there are orohemiarctic areas in the fells above tree limit.
The Earth’s crust in Finland consists mainly of Precambrian granites and metamorphic rocks. Their age is typically about 1.8 bill. years. Only in the north westernmost tip of the country there is a very small area originating from Caledonic fracturing 400 million years ago. Most of the bedrock is acidic. Calcareous and ultramafic rocks take less than 1% of Finland.
The bedrock is mainly covered by loose soils, with a mean thickness of 3-4 metres. Most of the soils originate from the latest glaciation and the Holocene. The most common Quaternary deposits are glacial moraines. Eskers and other glaciofluvial formations cover some 5% of the country, clay plains 10%, and peat covers 30%.
The terrain is relatively flat in Finland. The local altitude differences typically vary from 5 to 50 metres. In southern Finland only in a couple of places they are up to 200 m. In the fell areas in northern Lapland there are up to 500 metres local altitude differences. The maximum absolute height is 1328 m a.s.l. in Halti fell in the north westernmost tip of Finland. An exceptional feature is continuous land uplift up to 8 mm annually in the western coast of Finland. Because the terrain is very flat there, the shoreline continuously moves westwards causing primary paludification.
Due to the great number of different mires in Finland there are mires with different toponymes in landscape and in maps. In general, in Finnish language, and also in classification, the word suo means mire including also wet paludified forests. During the event there will be more discussion on terms and concepts.
An individual mire or a distinct area of a larger mire area
comprising a number of mire site types is called a mire complex. The
original term mire complex (Moorkomplex) in the sense of Cajander
denoted simply all the mire sites of a mire area. Later mire complex
has been determined to be a united part of the whole mire area by Rauno
Ruuhijärvi.
In Finland there are seven zones of mire complex types from the south
to the north. Within each zone there is an additional east-west
gradient due to the differences in the oceanity-continentality
gradient.
Plateau bogs form the southernmost mire complex zone in southern and south-western coast Finland. They are typical raised bogs where the centre is elevated and forms an even plateau with an irregular network of hummocks and hollows. The hummock ridges and hollows form an irregular net in the plateau part of the bog.
Domed bogs are bogs of southern and southwestern inland of Finland. These bogs are domed in shape, and consequently, elongated hummocks and hollows surround the highest point of the bog in concentric circles. The highest point can be in the middle or at the edge of the bog.
North of the concentric bogs there is a zone of eccentric bogs which have developed on a more or less sloping terrain. These bogs are mires of central part of southern Finland. Hummocks and hollows are arranged in rows perpendicular to the slope. In this zone fairly dry pine-covered Sphagnum fuscum bog complexes without any regular structures are common on even terrain.
Aapa mires
Aapa mire complexes are mainly minerotrophic, and they have developed under following conditions: short summer, and long winter with abundant snow causing high and rather long lasting spring time flood from the drainage basin of the mire. This prevents the development to bog complex. This kind of conditions are typical for northern Finland, in regions where the terrain is rather flat. Some aapa mires can be found in southern Finland, too. Aapa mires have a string and flark pattern, where the strings are perpendicular to the slope.
The southern aapa mire zone or sedge aapas are aapa mires of Ostrobothnia and Kainuu regions. They are relatively moist mires, where the intermediate level (lawn) predominates and sedge fens are covering the mire.
The main aapa mires or flark aapas are aapa mires of Peräpohjola region around the Polar Circle, where aapa mires have the most characteristic patterns: wet flark fens are common and strings are high. Trees are often growing as narrow lines on strings. Some of flark aapas are rather poor with Molinia. In Eastern Finland, where the climate is hygrically more oceanic, flark aapas have developed on hill slopes forming sloping mires.
Northern aapa mires or pounikko aapas are mires in Forest Lapland near the northern timberline. The term pounikko means hummocks, which are treeless because of the long lasting ground frost. The ground frost also forms the shape of strings, which do not form continous lines. The high hummocks of pounikko have ombrotrophic characters. The strings form an irregular network in the centre of the mire complexes.
Palsa mires are the northernmost complex type within the aapa mire zone. Palsas are large peat mounds, up to 7 metres high, containing sporadic permafrost. However, most of the area of mires are not palsas, but pounikko strings and aapa fens.
Orohemiarctic mires are found in low alpine mountain regions. These mires have only a shallow peat layer. The vegetation consists typically of seepage flora. These mires belong to arctic mire complex / unit, which have developed outside arctic zone because of the elevation of Northern Fennoscandia fells, (in Finnish tunturi (compare to term tundra)). In the highest fell areas above 1000 m a.s.l. there are also some polygon mires.
Ecologically and botanically about 80 mire site types have been described in Finnish mires . For the practical purposes of using mires, mainly for the draining for forestry, a simplified classification system is used. The current Finnish mire-site type system, which has been developed further from the ideas of Cajander has been basically constructed on the basis of different ecological gradients.
Mire sites have been divided according to their nutrient source into two groups: ombrotrophic and minerotrophic. Secondly, mire types are arranged in the classification system from the driest to the wettest.
Finland's original mire area has covered a total of about 10,4 million hectares, representing about one third of the country's entire land area. The term mire covers here also all wooded, but paludified habitats. Thus some of the mires have been also forest with fairly good timber production and a greater deal of mires have been sparsely wooded with poor timber production an the rest of the mires have been open. In geological sense (> 20 ha > 0.3 m) the area of mires has been about 5 million ha.
The utilization of mires has been has been much more intensive in Finland than in other northern regions in the world. Forestry, agriculture and peat harvesting have in general destroyed original mire habitats, and hence also the fauna and flora. Forestry is an important industrial sector in Finland and pristine mires have been regarded as a valuable resource for forestry. Therefore, large areas of mires have been drained for forestry purposes, covering a total of 5.9 million hectares of former mires. Thus Finland has carried out the world´s most extensive programme of mire draining, being most active in 1970 s, when almost 3000 km2 of mires were drained annually. Up till now, draining of pristine mires has almost ceased, and most activities are concentrated on the maintaining of ditches in peatland forests.
The agricultural use of mires has during past centuries reduced the mire area by about 1,2 million. ha. Especially rich fens and fertile spruce mires, and their specialized fauna and flora have disappeared.
Peat mining is now increasing rapidly in central parts of the country. About 662 000 ha have been reserved for future peat mining, but at the moment some 100 000 ha have been taken in peat mining. Some large mire areas have been drowned in water reservoirs (60 000 ha).
Formerly many mires - particularly in northern Finland - have been used for collecting winter fodder for livestock. In many areas most of the open mires, growing sedges and grasses have been used as mire meadows. This kind of activity is now history.
In 1956, strict nature reserves of Vaskijärvi, Häädetkeidas and Runkaus were established to protect good examples of raised bogs and aapamires for scientific purposes.
The first mire conservation plans were made in the 1960s when forestry drainage of mires expanded enormously. The plans covered 180 000 hectares of state-owned mires, mainly large mire complexes in northern Finland. Special attention was paid to mire complexes and bird fauna. During the work it became clear that especially in southern Finland also mires in private land must be protected to preserve the diversity of mire ecosystems.
In 1970s a plan for the development of the network of national parks and strict nature reserves, including many of the most valuable mires was prepared in the environment administration. Simultaneously, a nationwide mire conservation programme was compiled. In these programmes, the goals were to preserve the diversity of mire complexes, mire site types, vascular plants and birds, as well as to form a comprehensive network of reserves. The main idea was to protect typical and large examples of mire complexes, but attention was also paid to small mires, especially rich fens. The first lists of threatened mire site types and vascular plants in mires were also compiled.
The estimated amount of existing pristine mires is about 3,5 million ha, most of this in northern Finland. The total area of protected mires is about 1,2 million ha. In southern Finland pristine mires can be found practically only in areas which are protected or planned to be protected.
Present Forestry Act and Nature Conservation Act contain specially protected site types, which typically are small in area: springs, seepage areas, rich fens, fertile spruce mires and black alder swamps. In addition, if a site does not meet the demands of the above mentioned acts, but is however locally or regionally a valuable habitat, the forest owner should preserve its characters according to the guidelines of good forestry practices.
As the National Mire Protection Programme cannot be
implemented with sufficient speed, the draining of privately owned
mires to be conserved has been quite common. The restoration of the
water table in the drained areas through damming and blocking ditches
creates a great deal of work and increased expenditure. National
guidelines for restoration have been prepared in a working group in
2002. So far, 12 000 ha of mires have been restored in nature reserves,
largely with support from EU LIFE foundation.
Some mires reserves are provided with information stands, nature paths,
and observation towers for the general public to enjoy the mire nature.
All mires in reserves are normally open to public to visit, with the
exception of the nesting periods of mire birds and in the case of mires
of strict nature reserves.
Thursday 13th July Connections
from Helsinki to Lapland: there are several alternatives, and we
recommend the following:
1. Flight
from Helsinki to Kittilä, departure 13th July
at
11.35, flight time 1 h 55 min). There are only 68 seats in the ATR-72
airplane. Transport
from
Kittilä airport available (1 hour). From Helsinki airport it
takes 30 minutes by bus to Helsinki railway station.
2. Night
train from Helsinki to Kolari, departure 12th July
at 20.18,
arrival
in Kolari 10.30. Transport from Kolari railway station available (30
minutes).
3. Night
trains from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, departures 12th July
at
19.20 and
22.30, arrivals at 7.51 and 10.54, respectively. Transport from
Rovaniemi
railway station available (3 hours)
4. Flights
from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, departure 13th
July. The flight time is 1 h
20 min
(Departures from Helsinki at 7.55, 12.20, 16.20 and 19.45 o'clock, the
latest
alternative not recommended), transport from Rovaniemi airport
available (3
hours)
Opening of the field symposium in the evening in Nature Centre Kellokas in
Äkäslompolo, mire exhibition.
Friday 14th July Kolari, Teuravuoma: large
aapamire of the main aapamire zone. Long walk along path and wooden
boardwalk. Mire ecotourism. Bus tour along Tornionjoki river valley,
cultural objects
Saturday 15th July Tervola, Karhuaapa: calcareous rich fens, rich flora, conservation problems, restoration, Simo, Martimoaapa: Ramsar site, large aapamire and eccentric bog, bird fauna.
Sunday 16th July Kuivaniemi, Ihanalampi: Land uplift area on moraine soils, succession of young mires, rich fens, ecohydrology. In the evening presentation about peat mining and conservation conflicts.
Monday 17th Ylikiiminki, Hirvisuo: Aapamire of sedge aapa zone, bird fauna, vegetation, ecohydrology. Pudasjärvi, Olvassuo: Ramsar site, Proposed UNESCO World Heritage site, aapamire, restoration, ground water pumping, reindeer herding
Tuesday 18th Liminka, Liminganlahti:
Ramsar site, land uplift, paludification, shoreline vegetation, bird
fauna, flora.
Siikajoki and Raahe towns: Culture and history, old wooden town
Siikajoki, Hummastinvaara:
Land uplift on poor sand soil, young mires, vegetation, flora, carbon
balance
Wednesday 19th July Oulu town,
culture and history, possibility for shopping.
Four hours drive to the south from Oulu through the very plain western
Finnish lowland. Problems of forestry drainage along the route.
Thursday 20th July Perho, Salamajärvi
national park: Ramsar site, southern aapamires, locus classicus for
aapamire definition, mire site type and complex classification, mosaic
of forest and mire, wild forest reindeer, outdoor recreation. Long walk
along wooden boardwalk.
Lapua, Alajoki:
Mire cultivation, agricultural history, scenery, flood control.
Friday 21st July Laihia, Levaneva: Ramsar
site, large bogs and aapamires, water reservoir on mire, cultural
history, hunting and poaching, vegetation, bird fauna. Long walk along
wooden boardwalk.
Isojoki, Lauhavuori
national park: geomorphology, ecohydrology, eccentric
bogs, springs, vegetation, flora, highest point in Western Finland.
Saturday 22nd July Kauhajoki, Kauhaneva national park:
Ramsar site, Bogs and aapamires, vegetation, flora, bird fauna.
Parkano, Seitseminen
national park: Restoration, history of forestry and
agriculture.
Sunday 23rd July
Kokemäki, Puurijärvi
national park: wetland site important for birds.
Perniö, Punassuo:
southern bog, structures, vegetation, flora.
Tammisaari, Harpar
Storträsk: hemiboreal vegetation, flora and
succession
Monday 24th July
Eerikkilä sports institute, presentations
Tuesday 25th July Field
excursion to nearby Liesjärvi and Torronsuo national parks:
large bogs, spruce mires, mire restoration. Visit to Tammela Nature
Centre with a mire exhibition
Wednesday 26th July Presentations
Thursday 27th July IMCG General
Assembly
Normal wetland field conditions and normal footwear (rubber boots) for mires/wetlands. Some mosquitoes and other insects, especially in the northern localities. Repellent and/or mosquito hat is useful (available everywhere in Finland), but the insects are not poisonous and they do not spread diseases unless ticks in the south. In the north it may be relatively cool (about 15 degrees), and in July between warm periods (up to 30 degrees) it rains rather often. Accommodation in small hotels and hostels, two nights in modest cottages in camping areas. Sheets for beds available every night.
www.imcg.net
last update 28. 08. 2006 top