Table 1
Key biotopes in the Finnish forest landscape (as presented by Finnish Forest
Certification Project, 1999)
The biotopes protected under the Nature Conservation Act (in force since
1997)
(1) Wild woods rich in broad-leafed deciduous species
(2) Hazel woods
(3) Common alder woods
(4) Sandy shores in their natural state
(5) Coastal meadows
(6) Treeless of sparsely wooded sand dunes
(7) Juniper meadows
(8) Wooded meadows
(9) Prominent single trees or groups of trees in an open landscape
The habitats protected under the Forest Act (in force since 1997)
(1) The immediate surroundings of springs, streams, wet hollows in the
permanent beds of streams, and small pools
(2) Herb-rich and grassy hardwood-spruce swamps, ferny hardwoodspruce swamps, eutrophic paludal hardwood-spruce swamps and eutrophic
fens located to the south of the Province of Lapland
(3) Fertile patches of herb-rich forest
(4) Heathland forest islets on undrained wetlands
(5) Gorges and ravines
(6) Steep bluffs and the underlying forest
(7) Sandy soils, exposed bedrock, boulder fields, wetlands with sparse tree
stand, flood meadows, which are less productive than nutrient-poor
heathland forests
Other valuable habitats (according to silvicultural recommendations)
(1) Habitats defined in the Forest Act which are common in the area or not
representative enough to be protected by the Forest Act
(2) Old-growth conifer forests, mixed forests and broad-leaved forests that
are valuable for nature conservation
(3) Southern ridges, kettle holes
(4) Herb-rich swamps
(5) Wooded pasture lands and forest meadows