Suomussalmi’s mussel destruction|The e-mail seen by HS shows that the forest owner and Stora Enso received clear instructions from the Kainu ely center on how to avoid mussel destruction in Suomussalmi.
Stora Enso was aware of the occurrence of the endangered river pearl mussel and the measures needed to protect the mussel before the logging that caused the mussel destruction in Suomussalmi, shows an email seen by HS.
On May 15, Stora Enso and the forest owner were sent an email from the supervisory authority, i.e. the Kainuu ely center, prohibiting the crossing of the river in question at the site. In addition, the authority recommended leaving a strip of about 45 meters along the river where no trees will be cut down.
However, the opposite happened: the ban was violated and the recommendation is not shown to have been followed. At the construction site, the forestry machine was driven several times over the Hukkajoki from the densest part of the pearl oyster deposit.
The Kainuu ely center tells HS that they also plan to make an investigation request to the police. Previously, the request for an investigation was made by Metsähallitus. The police are investigating the incident as a gross nature conservation crime.
The machine killed by crushing mussels directly, but more extensive damage is caused by the steam and mud flowing downstream from the overrun site, which suffocates especially young mussels from a distance of hundreds of meters.
Metsähallitus project manager Pirkko-Liisa Luhta told HS on Thursday from the spot that the protection zone has not been left in the recommended size either. In some places, it has been cut almost all the way to the shore, which can be seen in the pictures taken from the place.
The water has turned brown far downstream from the point where the river has been crossed. Since there is a slope nearby, rainwater brings more solids into the river along the grooves. In recent days, efforts have been made to block the grooves.
Kainuu elyn The May email sent to Stora Enso and the land owner was a response to the logging notice filed on the site.
It is normal practice for the ely center to give instructions to those submitting logging notices in areas with nature conservation values.
The instructions are thorough and clear.
“The river must not be crossed by machines at the place of occurrence, and the crossing of small water above the place of occurrence must be chosen in such a way that the crossing does not cause solid matter to be washed into the bed,” the email says.
Now, however, the crossing has been made in the middle of the densest deposit so that thousands of cracks were left downstream.
Here are the instructions for leaving a shelter:
“The removal of shading trees from the immediate vicinity of the place of occurrence, i.e. in other words with patterns bordering directly on the river, should be avoided, because changes in lighting conditions in the river weaken the place of occurrence of river pearl mussel.”
After that, a 45-meter untreated strip along the river is recommended. You can see from the pictures taken from the place that it has not been left at least in all places.
In the message the forest use patterns, which are limited to the vicinity of the river pearl mussel deposit, are precisely listed. The company and the forest owner have also been reminded that the river pearl mussel is “very endangered, especially to be protected and reassured”.
“The habitat of the river pearl mussel is weakened by such forest treatment that causes changes in the shade of the bed or the washing of solid matter into the habitat,” the ely center advises.
“If the soil is treated, only light cultivation is involved and, for example, the furrows should be directed in such a way that washing into the river does not occur,” the message continues.
However, there was a lot of leaching.
“Approximately 400 meters away, the rocks are as if they were covered with milk chocolate, when they are covered with sand”, Pirkko-Liisa Luhta of Metsähallitus described to HS on Wednesday.
“Their feet are completely brown because the insides are full of sand.”
Stora Enson country manager Seppo Parvi told To HS on Thursday, that he still can’t say what all went wrong in the case.
According to the company’s instructions, a plan is prepared for all fellings, in which protection needs are taken into account, and the plan is sent to harvesting entrepreneurs. At the same time, information about, for example, the boundaries of the logging area should be transferred directly even to the work machines.
Somewhere, therefore, the instructions have been acted against, but Parvi did not take a position on Thursday as to where.
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