A letter from the ELY Centre that arrived in Heikki and Airi Laihia’s mailbox last autumn notifying them of an osprey nest on their forest plot did not come as a surprise to the forest owners.
The protected bird had been living on the forest plot in the Silo village in Laitila for years, and the nesting tree was in the middle of the planned felling area. However, no ospreys had been seen in the area in recent years.
An inspection carried out by ELY Centre experts in the autumn of 2024 confirmed this. It became clear that the nest built at the top of a pine tree had been empty for several years.
Nevertheless, the felling was carried out according to the standard instructions for protected sites. Despite the nest being abandoned, a 50-metre protected area, known as a buffer zone, was left around the nesting tree. In addition, forest work within a radius of 500 metres of the nest was scheduled for the late autumn and early winter, outside the nesting season.
The forest owner hoped the bird would return to its old nest
At this point, some forest owners may well have regretted the drawn-out schedule and slightly diminished wood sales revenue, but the couple in Laitila saw things very differently. The bird species, which is protected under the Nature Conservation Act, nesting on the plot increases biodiversity.
“According to experts, the osprey may well return to its old nest if it finds the habitat more welcoming. After felling, the nesting tree again enjoys a view of the nearby lake. Hopefully, this will attract the birds back here,” says Heikki Laihia.
Ospreys generally suffer from a shortage of nesting trees, as they require unobstructed flight paths to and from the nest. In this case, the nest remained below nearby treetops, hindering its habitation.
“The osprey enjoys a view of the landscape. This place is itself peaceful, and the houses are also relatively remote,” says Niina Nupponen, Metsä Group’s local forest specialist.
More space around the nest
The seed tree removals and crown thinning carried out in December were ultimately quite extensive. The harvesting area’s size, originally planned to cover three hectares, tripled because of the Lyly storm that raged last autumn.
Changes were made to the felling plan in consultation with the ELY Centre and a nest inspector. Permission was given to remove fallen and tilting trees from the edge of the buffer zone, and some of them were made into high biodiversity stumps to produce standing decaying wood faster. A few storm-damaged trees were also left to produce decaying wood.
“At the owners’ request, more high biodiversity stumps than normal were left on the site. With the ELY Centre’s permission, a few large pine trees were also felled inside the buffer zone to make enough space around the nest. On sites like this, cooperation with the ELY Centre is emphasised, allowing tangible actions to be taken to improve the nesting environment,” Nupponen says.
The plan is to use harrowing and sowing to renew the heath forest in the seed tree removal stand next to the buffer zone. This would normally have been carried out using seed trees, but the Lyly storm changed the plans. The seed trees had been on the plot for less than a year when they were hit by the storm. Continuous cover forestry and crown thinning will be used elsewhere.
“A slowly growing barren site with a lower yield like this was a perfect place for combining forestry measures and forest biodiversity actions,” Nupponen says.
No forestry work can be carried out near the nesting tree (within a radius of 500 metres) during the closed season from the beginning of April to mid-September. During the nesting period, it is also forbidden to move near the nest.
“The Laitila example shows that there’s a smart way of doing things. It’s a win-win-situation for all parties,” Nupponen says.
Heikki Laihia agrees. He points out that wood sale revenue is not the only value you get from the forest.
“The forest and the animals were here before us. We have no right to get rid of them.”
Text: Timo Sormunen
Images: Seppo Samuli
This article was originally published in Metsä Group’s Viesti magazine 1/2025.