Attractions on the Kukkola Forest Trail

Transcription

1 Attractions on the Kukkola Forest Trail 1. Enrichment of the Meadow This meadow has been grazed since the establishment of the farm almost 200 years ago. It has its own special flora and fauna, its tall shady plants having been stripped by cattle or falling under the scythe. Nowadays, horses spend their summers on the meadow, sometimes eating too much of its flora. Plants typical of the meadow include moon daisy, wild strawberry, field scabious and meadow vetchling. Bumblebees and honeybees collect nectar and pollen. 2. Arboretum Named after long-serving statesman Antti Kukkonen, the arboretum was established by Metla and the North Karelia Agriculture Foundation in Strange-looking trees in the arboretum can be divided into two categories: strange individuals and genuine special forms. The special forms have a divergent appearance due to gene mutation, without any influence from external factors. 3. Habitat and Forest Type The forest land s habitats are divided into mineral and peat soil. Herb-rich forest, herb-rich heath forest, mesic heath forest, sub-xeric heath forest, xeric heath forest and barren heath forest are the habitat types associated with mineral soil. While each habitat type includes several climatic or territorial forest types, dwarf and wasteland have their own classifications. The forests around the Kukkola farm are herb-rich forests, herb-rich heath forests and mesic heath forests. 4. Hybrid Aspen Hybrid aspen, a hybrid of the domestic and Canadian American aspen, has a very high growth rate, growing by as much as a metre in a year. In November 2009, an experimental growth plot was established in the area of this hybrid aspen, in which plant heights and breast height diameters were measured. The aspen s mean height was 8.43 m, its mean diameter was 7.1 cm and its total volume m 3 /ha. Hybrid aspens do not grow in the heavy clay soil or hollows that are also characteristic of this area. 5. Christmas Tree Plantation Flora located under power cables must remain under 4 metres in height. The cultivation of Christmas trees and basket osiers is a good example of forest recovery. Forest owners and the electric company concerned should reach an agreement on land use beneath power cables. These are Black spruces (Picea mariana), which grow naturally in North America. 1

2 6. Biodiversity of Forests Many endangered animal and plant species depend on rotten tree-trunks in forests. An important way of improving forest therefore lies in increasing the amount of rotten wood and ensuring its quality enhancement. Aspen, birch, pussy willow, rowan, common alder, grey alder, bay willow and hagberry are very important plant species in this respect. 7. Aspen An aspen s leaves usually tremble, even in a mild breeze. Aspen spread out large numbers of suckers, especially when they are felled or about to die. To prevent aspen from growing in a certain area, you must bark a short section of the trunk of each aspen tree. This prevents nutrients from flowing through the trunk and the tree is unable to send out suckers. An aspen s wood is soft and very susceptible to fungi, particularly when damaged. Aspen can provide a habitat to over 300 insect species. In this area, the aspen trunks have many slits. This is due to the barks having been eaten by elk many years ago, of which the marks are a visible reminder. 8. Badger s Sett Badgers usually move around in the gloom. They weigh in at 6-17 kg and can be cm long. Characterised by two distinct black stripes on a white, tapered head, badgers have powerful legs with long nails for burrowing. Badgers can use the same tunnels for decades and prefer to live in droves comprising around ten members. Each drove has one central sett and several side setts. There are paths between the setts and feeding places. Badgers eat earthworms, insects, berries, mushrooms, fruit and oats. Once a sett has been abandoned by badgers, it will be colonised by other animals such as raccoon dogs, polecats or foxes. 9. NFI NFI, the national forest inventory, is a monitoring system that produces information on national and regional forest resources, land use, forest health, the biodiversity of forests, forest carbon stocks and the related changes. Finland s first NFI was carried out in the 1920s. The latest forest statistics are based on the 10 th NFI, whose field measurements were begun in the summer of Forest resource information produced by NFIs is based on extensive field measurements and sampling. A field plot network, totalling around 70,000 field plots, covers the entire country. Along this forest trail, there are two NFI demo field plots: a young spruce copse with standards and a rather old pinery. 10. Young Spruce Copse with Standards In this NFI demo field plot, standard cutting has been performed in the autumn of Some of the standards have been left, leading to the growth of large timber trees and creating variety in the forest. There are some grey alders, birches, goat willows, aspens and rowans as well as spruces. This type of bicentric forest provides an excellent environment for a variety of birds. In this mesic mesotrophic herb-rich forest (OMaT), the undergrowth is sparse due to the thick and shady spruce copse. These spruces are growing rapidly in the nutritious soil and have a reddish bark. 2

3 11. Stone Wall Farmers collected stones and built stone walls around traditional slash-and-burn fields, in order to mark boundaries and keep cattle out. Late in the 17 th century, the order was given that stone walls were to be maintained for eight years after the burn-beating process. Stone walls are very important to natural biodiversity, since they provide a home for moss, lichen and ermine nests. 12. Presented Saplings On 22 nd May 2009, one curly rowan and several oak, linden and maple saplings were planted near the Kukkola parking place. These saplings were presented by Metlas to The City of Joensuu on the city s 160 th anniversary. The oak originally grew on Tammisaari, but the seeds were collected from the Punkaharju research forest planted in In addition, Linden seeds were collected from the gene reserve forest in Niinisaari by Puruvesi, and maple seeds from Haarikonmäki in Punkaharju. The original rowan grew in Oulainen: when this tree was felled in the autumn of 2007, it was observed to be of the curly variety. This valuable tree was bred using micropropagation at Metla Punkaharju. 13. Silver Birch (Betula pendula) Used for Forestation of Fields In most cases, a field is forested after farming has ceased. For forestation purposes, spruce is perhaps one of the surest growing species. Since it is not very frost hardy, it requires standards, especially in low-lying fields. A silver birch will grow well in mineral soil and pubescent birch will do so in finer soils. Hybrid aspens need a lot of nutrients. Siberian larch is another new species used in field forestation. It is possible to retain a natural appearance by selecting the right tree species. Trees should not be planted in straight lines near settled areas and highways. In addition, grass around saplings must be cut back in order to give the young trees a good start and avoid diseases. Elk, hares and voles can cause damage to forestation areas. 14. Pinery The pine (Pinus sylvestris) is Finland s most common tree species. Pine has a red brown, flaky bark, long double needles and round cones. Because they require plenty of light, branches in the shade tend to be shed. Due to the fact that selective pruning has not been performed in time, some of the trees have been starved of light and their branches have died. This NFI demo field plot on the top of the hill is an example of a lushly mesic heath forest (MT), with herb-rich heath forest located further down. 15. Yield Estimates for Berries Each season, the Finnish Forest Research Institute gives 3-4 yield estimates for berries. The first yield estimate for blueberry and cloudberry is given in the middle of June. By July, more information has been gathered on these and on the timetable and abundance of lingonberry flowering. In September, additional information is published on the lingonberry and mushroom crop. Forecasting is based on experimental plots all over Finland, including around 200 forest and 3

4 bog areas. Flowers, and unripe and ripe berries, are counted on five permanent square-metre experimental plots within the same area. 16. Moth Monitoring Finland s environmental administration provides the funding for this light trap used to monitor moths. The lamp emits ultra-violet radiation which attracts moths into the trap, from which some are unable to escape. Geometrid moths, owlet moths, nightjars and hawk moths are the main species represented. Researchers identify the species and their numbers in the catch. Over the long term, subjects such as the effects of climate change, and wayfaring, dispersion and decreases in moth numbers are studied. Concentrations of heavy metals and industrial melanism in moths are also examined. National studies of this type fall under the responsibility of Finland s environmental administration. 17. Spruce Spruce Year 2003 Year 2010 Height 22 m 23.5 m Breast height diameter (d 1,3 ) 35 cm 38 cm Total volume m m 3 Ration of timber sized wood 93 % m 3 92 % m 3 Ration of pulp sized wood 6 % m 3 8 % m 3 Price of standing timber 46.20/m 3 50/m 3 Price of standing pulp 21.70/m 3 16/m 3 Value of timber Final Felling Forest The forest is ready for regeneration cutting when the tree stand becomes sufficiently old and large. Habitat, wood species and thinnings have an influence on tree growth. Mean diameter indicates the size of a standing crop. Old trees are felled and new saplings planted. In clear cutting, all of the trees are cut down and seeds or new saplings planted, while in seedtree cutting some trees are tall enough to allow new saplings to grow. Cover tree cutting involves making space for a new tree generation under the older trees, after which some cover trees are cut down in phases and the rest of the older trees are felled. In this forest, the trees are large enough for final felling. Their mean diameter is 29 cm, the recommended mean diameter for regeneration cutting being cm. 19. Emergence of Seedlings in Thinning Forests Thinning ensures that forests are healthy and expansive, while increasing the total return. Nowadays, thinning is usually done using machines. Weak, ailing and undevelopable trees are felled. No more than 30 % of trees may be cut down to avoid storm and snow damage. Seedlings emerge naturally from domestic tree species. During thinning, paths were cleared for harvesters and coated with spruce saplings afterwards. All of the free space was taken up by new spruce saplings. 4

5 20. Podsol Soil comprises different layers and accumulates over centuries. Climate, soil, particle size, surface shape, vegetation and time are the chief factors determining soil types. Podsol soil is found in wet and cold areas, and in Boreal forests such as Finland s. Because soluble minerals leach into the lower layers, podsol is a relatively poor soil type. Layers: Topsoil organic matter humus Leaching layer, A-horizon B-horizon Subsoil 21. Meteorological Station Between the years , an automatic meteorological station was located here, for measuring air and soil temperatures and humidity at various heights. Marks left by this equipment remain on this fallen trunk. The atmospheric concentration of sulphur dioxide was also measured. On this experimental plot, air quality and its quantitative impurity were researched in the open area and the spruce copse. The effects of fallen compounds on water properties in soil, and changes in water passing through soil layers, were also measured. Soil water was collected using lysimeters at various depths. The resulting holes in the ground are still visible. 22. Stream Springs, streams, trickles and ponds are very important to the landscape and biodiversity of forests. These kinds of water areas have different climatic conditions to elsewhere and are home to unique flora and fauna. For this reason, they are protected under the Forest Act. This stream collects waters from the fields near the Kukkola parking place. Water flows to the corner of the field and turns right before running under the forest path towards Pyhäselkä. The stream swells during the spring. 23. Bomb Crater During the Winter War, Joensuu was bombed several times by the Soviet Union. The greatest damage was sustained by Niinivaara and the City of Joensuu. Enemy planes jettisoned their bombs in order to make a faster escape, leaving random bomb craters around the city. 24. Field and Forest Edge Meijerinurmi has been grazed for over 100 years. Farming has created a multiplicity of environments in field and fringe areas. Between the field and forest lie a plethora of plant and animal species typical of forests, fields and meadows. On this ditch bank there are over 30 different plant species, some of which are meadow species. Nearby, you can see a long-leafed zigzag clover resembling red clover. This species grows in meadows and on forest verges and banks. The 5

6 Karelian rose, the provincial flower of North Karelia, is a very common plant in the forests of Kukkola. This rose has needle-like thorns, fragrant flowers and a long berry. 25. Siberian Larch Each spring, larch grows soft new leaves akin to needles, which become yellow and are shed in the autumn. Larch can be as high as 45 m. They have a 1.5 m long tap root and need plenty of light and rich soil, although they suffer in standing water. Calciferous and grove-like soil forms an excellent breeding ground for larch. Finland is home to Siberian and European larch. Larch is almost as rot proof as pressure treated wood; its resinous heartwood is especially strong. This makes larch an excellent, water resistant material for external building, but it is not sufficiently stable for purposes requiring high precision. 26. Beach Pine Beach or shore pine grows naturally in the west coast of North America. Beach pine is vulnerable to fungi, storm and snow damage but does not shed its branches easily. It grows very rapidly during its initial years and requires less light than normal pine in Finland. Its branches are resinous and remain attached to the trunk for a prolonged period. Since this wood is very brash, the sawmill industry has little use for it. In Finland, the natural regeneration of beach pine is low. Beach pine has a bark-like spruce, with the cone directly attached to the branch, a curvy trunk and needles which are longer and of a brighter green than Scots pine. 27. Pine Spinney Despite the fact that these trees are large enough for cutting, this pine spinney near the farmyard will be left as it is. These good-looking pines are valued for their scenic qualities. According to the forest management plan, this compartment will be regenerated or preserved as a landscape spinney. However, smaller trees in under layers can be cut or thinned. The forest management plan contains data on tree stands, cutting and forestry planning covering the next ten years, and laying down limits on forest use. 28. Rowan Rowan, traditionally a sacred tree, is highly demanding in terms of its habitat. In calciferous soil in particular, rowan grows well and becomes treelike. It usually grows into a form somewhere between a tree and a bush. On expanses it is one of the first trees to appear, with birds eating its berries and dispersing the seeds far and wide to new habitats. Wine, juice, jam, bonbons and desserts are made from the acidic rowan berries. Rowan wood provides good material for furniture, ornaments and receptacles. 6

7 29 Phenology Phenology focuses on the rhythm of biological phenomena and the effect of various factors on this rhythm. Metla has established an observation network covering the entire country and focusing on the phenology of forest trees and other forest plant species. Monitoring focuses on the following phenomena: flowering and flushing of trees, yellowing and shedding of leaves height growth and flowering of conifers flowering of cowberry and bilberry and the ripening of berries North Karelia Agriculture Foundation 7