One of the two forest nature advisors in Finland, Mr. Antti Tiihonen, Forestry Engineer, is employed by the South Savo Regional Environment Centre since November 2006. His employment is coming to an end in November this year, after which he will return to his previous job at the Forest Management Association of Järvi-Savo in Central Finland.

The temporary job of a forest nature advisor is part of the Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland, or the Metso Programme, whose pilot phase ends in 2007. Tiihonen¿s job is to market one of the actions in the Metso Programme, with the aim of acquiring forest areas for protection by using money gained from selling land owned by the state.

Tiihonen is not likely to be short of work, for the area he works on covers half of Southern Finland.

Information spread through media and meetings

Tiihonen does not buy land for protection, but disseminates information about the possibilities of voluntary protection. The aim is to get the forest owners themselves to offer their land for protection. According to Tiihonen, the idea that forest could be protected on the forest owners' initiative was the reason for his personal involvement in furthering the Metso Programme.

"I market the idea mainly in two ways, through newspaper articles and advising forest professionals. I also advise forest owners when they contact me."

When a landowner makes an offer to sell a forest area for protection, Tiihonen evaluates the trees and the nature values of the site. If it meets the protection criteria used in Metso, he makes an acquisition proposal to the Ministry of Environment.

A jungle of actions and rules

Tiihonen says that the level of knowledge of both forest owners and professionals concerning the Metso Programme varies considerably. The fact that 17 different actions have been tested in different parts of the country within the Metro Programme causes additional problems.

"If a newspaper writes about fixed-term protection agreements tested in Southwest Finland, people don't understand that they are not in use here."

Another problem is the bewildering array of rules and regulations. The protection criteria used in the Metso Programme are different from those required for sites protected under the Forest Act. When applying for compensation, one has to keep in mind which criteria can be used and when.

He thinks that it is not yet possible to evaluate the impact of his work. "During my first four months, not a single deal was made. One year, you may be able to protect a hundred-hectare area, and the next, 20 one-hectare areas. This year we have received many offers, so maybe there has been some impact," he reflects.

Krista Kimmo