The Finnish government’s logging operations to thin out forests in the Aalistunturi area continued on Wednesday after environmentalists clashed with police to protest the move.
Some 900 kilometres north of Helsinki, state-owned company Metsähallitus, working under the guidance of the agriculture and forestry ministries, began logging in an area of around 400 hectares at the start of January.
Forest areas with trees aged 55-90 are to be thinned out, according to the information given by Metsähallitus. Operations follow the environmental and biodiversity-focused guidelines for practical forest management, preserving retention trees, protective thickets and all dead trees.
But the move has not convinced environmental groups Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace and Luontoliitto who demand that the logging be halted at least until the local initiative for a national park has been brought to a prompt close at the Environment Ministry.
As negotiations failed, however, protesters set up a camp in the forest area, which police dismantled Tuesday, arresting eight people that were released the following day.
Following the release, Metsähallitus announced its intention to carry on logging – a move that is expected to result in more protests elsewhere.
(Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
