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Presenting sustainable forest management
MARKKU RIMPILÄINEN, Photos: Pasi Salminen & Sami Tirkkonen
A conifer takes an average 80 years to grow from a small seedling into a full-size tree. During that time, its growth in commercial forests is promoted by forest management in a variety of ways. Time is condensed at Metsä Group’s forest visitor centre Nemus Futurum, located near Lohja in Southern Finland. In a little more than two hours, the site presents a comprehensive overview of the best practices of sustainable forest management in the various growth phases of the forest. Guests also receive information about the benefits of nature management in commercial forests and come to understand how good forest management affects things like the climate and biodiversity. The guided tour starts at a site where new spruce seedlings have been planted after regeneration felling. Visitors then move through a stand of seven-year-old seedlings to a thinned forest that is about 60 years old. If forest management measures on the young stand are carried out at the right time, the first thinning can provide up to 30–50 per cent more wood. Guests learn about various types of forest site and forest man- agement methods, and see both periodic and continuous cover forestry. Augmented reality is used to expand the experience. Every guest is provided with an iPad that gives further information about the site and allows them to travel forwards and backwards in time. Nemus Futurum is Metsä Group's forest visitor centre that uses augmented reality to showcase Finnish forests and sustainable forest management.
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