UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2017-ENG

In a month, the staff lift and carry 30 tonnes of seedlings.

YOUNG FORESTS ON THE GROW

Now semi-retired, Martti Bagge drops by at the UPM forestry service office in Juva for coffee every other week. He comes to chat with Pekka Harmoinen , the forest account responsible. The subject of conversation varies, but Bagge mostly talks about his forests. Healthy trees are a subject close to his heart, as Bagge looks after forests owned by his and his wife’s family across an extensive region around Juva. Bagge has been a regular at the Juva office for many years. Most of the family forests are from the 1940s and the 1960s, but the oldest date back to the 1800s. Having grown up with these forests, Bagge knows every square inch, unlike many younger forest owners, who may not even be sure of the precise location of their woods. This is not uncommon in Finland, where there are over 600,000 private forest owners. Bagge is methodical in his work as a custodian of the woodlands. He grows forests of varying ages for both profit and recreational value. In 2016, Bagge oversaw the first mechanical planting of 7 hectares of spruce. For this he ordered the batch of about 13,000 seedlings from UPM’s tree nursery in Joroinen.

Eija Hynninen, Anne Hassinen and Jari-Pekka Koskinen weed the spruce seedling bed.

>>

strong enough to be sold in the spring. Some seedlings are planted in the spring, others in autumn. The work at the nursery follows an annual rhythm – seeds germinate in the spring, seedlings grow in the summer and the harvest follows in autumn. Innovations and research collaboration In addition to basic seedling growing, the tree nursery also creates new products; the pikkukoivu (mini-birch) and the pikkolomänty (piccolo pine) are among their most developed innovations. The nursery works closely with universities and research institutes. Nursery manager Anne Immonen

dreams of one day expanding the nursery. The groundwork for future growth has been laid, including the new packing and sowing line. In the near future, the staff will be able to pack seedlings in shifts all year round, not just outdoors when the weather permits, securing the foundation for year-long availability of high-quality seeds. We end our tour in the seed depot. Logistics expert Timo Ikäheimo opens a few cabinets to reveal white seed canisters with identification labels. These seeds are healthy trees in embryonic form, and the seedlings raised in Joroinen are prime genetic stock forming the foundation of Finland’s thriving forests. 

Martti Bagge is an experienced forest owner, managing over 100 hectares of forests of various ages in Eastern Finland.

24 | BIOFORE