UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2017-ENG

TEXT HELEN MOSTER   PHOTOGRAPHY JANNE LEHTINEN

The cradle of healthy forests

O n an autumnmorning, we visit a sleepy tree nursery sprawled across 27 hectares of rural landscape in Eastern Finland. We are in Joroinen, an exceptionally warm microclimate for its geographical location. There are no swamps or bogs close by to cool the area, making the soil suitable for cultivation. As a former lake bed, the ground is soft and free of stones. Today, it is covered by a 27-hectare tree nursery. This is the only tree nursery in Finland owned by a forestry company that exports hundreds of kilograms of seeds and millions of spruce, pine and birch seedlings every year. UPM supplies the world with over 50million seedlings annually, including the production of eucalyptus in Uruguay.

Autumn is harvest time in Finland. In Joroinen, this means preparing the seedlings for winter. The employees are scattered working between the greenhouses and outdoor lots. They, too, have grown into their role as caregivers, oftenmaking independent decisions on how best to care for their ‘babies’. Experience has shown that it takes at least three years for someone to fully understand the special language of seedlings. The seed is where it all begins. With top- quality seeds, it takes less than 30 years to grow a strong, healthy forest bringing profit to its owner. The journey from seed to a fully grown tree dozens of metres tall is a long and challenging one. The nursery in Joroinen aims to give each seedling the best possible start.

Tree nurseries look after seeds and seedlings like their own babies. Thriving genomes form the foundation of healthy forests.

20 | BIOFORE