Stora Enso | Kuukkeli’s rare circle of life in southern Finland was the target of logging: “Unfortunately, it happened now”

Stora Enson from felling conflicting information has been presented in the public about the Kuukkel forest in Soininmäki on the border between Savonlinna and Parikkala.

The text messages seen by HS and the e-mail sent from Tornator’s address provide additional information about the situation.

Tornator is a real estate company that owns forests, the largest owner of which is the forest company Stora Enso. In the case of Soininmäki logging, Tornator planned the logging and Stora Enso is the buyer and user of the trees.

Logging at least three things are clear.

First of all, both Stora Enso and Tornator knew about Soininmäki’s hookah area.

It is also indisputable that the nature photographer, who has followed the moons closely for 30 years Hannu Siitonen went to the kuukeli forest with representatives of Tornator in November 2022.

The third piece of information is that on September 11, clear-cutting was done on the slope of Soininmäki.

After that, the views differ, especially with regard to whether the felling was mutually agreed upon.

CEO of Tornator Henrik Nieminen according to which the fellings were planned two years ago during a field trip with Hannu Siitonen. The core area of ​​Kuukkeli was demarcated from logging.

According to Hannu Siitonen, there was never any talk of clear-cutting.

“I certainly haven’t promised clear-cutting in the kukkeli’s habitat, that’s what I swear to,” Siitonen tells HS on the phone.

Whence in the forest in November 2022 then agreed?

The e-mail sent by Tornator’s representatives on November 11th talks about thinning patterns. There is no mention of open cuts.

In addition, there is a map showing four thinning forest patterns around Soininmäki. One small spot is marked as curtain wood cutting, which means leaving pines and hardwoods to protect the nursery from frost.

The map says as additional information that two of the thinnings border on the company’s possible future conservation area, so you have to be careful with the boundaries.

“Leimikko originally included both thinnings and clearing. But there are no notes of these conversations”, Tornatorin Henrik Nieminen says.

Separately in the email it is also said that Tornator will inform Siitonen about the future logging even closer.

According to Siitonen, he did not receive such information, but the information about the clear-cut felling came from seeing the felled trees in a pile.

“If I had been asked in advance, I could have told you that I have been filming all summer when the owls are storing food for the winter,” says Siitonen.

Tornator’s Nieminen states that he has no information whether Siito has been informed as promised or not.

Planning responsibility Tornator has used the stamp and Stora Enso is the operator of the logging.

Stora Enso’s director of corporate responsibility for wood procurement Pekka Kallio-Mannila says that Stora Enso has had good cooperation with both Tornator and Siitonen.

“But now there is disagreement about what was once agreed upon. Something has gone wrong because the parties have different ideas,” says Kallio-Mannila.

Immediately after the logging, a Stora Enso employee apologized for what happened to Siitone. “Unfortunately, it happened that I didn’t gather to influence this,” reads the message seen by HS.

So has Tornator acted wrongly, or is the regret unwarranted? According to Kallio-Mannila, the message does not tell about either.

“The regret shows that our connections with people work and the cooperation has been good.”

According to Kallio-Mannila, it is clear that clear-cutting should have been communicated in advance when the area was known to be sensitive.

“Of course, Siitonen should have been contacted before the felling. We would have been ready to move the felling.”