Day 2 – 6th of August – From SMEAR to Helvetinjärvi National Park

The day commenced with an exciting programme of two presentations followed by two field trips. Our learning started with the first presentation on Forest Atmosphere interactions by Liisa Kulmala, Post-Doc in Forest- Atmosphere Interactions, UH (Forest). She discussed three important points:

  1. How vegetation affects climate;
  2. How climate affects productivity; and
  3. How vegetation affects climate change.

The theoretical component was augmented by a practical visit to SMEAR (Station for Measuring Forest Ecosystem- Atmosphere Relations).

 

The excursion was conducted by Heikki Laakso, Research Technician, UH, Liisa Kulmala and Helmi Keskinen, Docent, UH (Physics). We observed the equipment used to measure the relationship between trees and atmosphere. Numerous questions from excited students were posed to the researchers followed by clear and informative responses. Equally interesting, was getting to see the SMEAR 128 m tower, which is one of the back bone tools of research at the station.

Off to SMEAR

Day2_Smear

The SMEAR tower

Day2_Tower

 

At the conclusion of the tour, we returned to class for the second presentation on “Recreational and economic ecosystem services and the public right of access in Finland” by Antti Otsamo, Development and Environment Manager, Forests and Parks Services. Some interesting points highlighted were that:

  1. Most of the land (an average of 30 ha) is owned by private foresters. Many live in the city but own forests.
  2. The concept of “every man’s right”. This means for example that every person is allowed to pick berries and mushrooms off private land without seeking permission of the owner.
  3. Hunting in Finland moved from a livelihood activity to a recreational one. The hunted game (Moose) is shared with friends and family. The number of women applying for hunting licences has increased. There is a general agreement between hunters and ecologists regarding the animal rights. Too many moose destroy vegetation and some ecosystems.

After the lectures, we were whisked away to our next stop to experience a recreational ecosystem service. We were taken on a walking tour in the Helvetinjärvi National Park under the guidance of Antti Otsamo. Hiking is a recreational ecosystem service and is available to all citizens free of charge. Along the way we saw plenty of mushrooms and berries in the forest and available for anyone to pick. After our climbing efforts we were rewards with a beautiful view of the lake while enjoying our self-prepared sandwiches for lunch.

Time to rest at Helvetinjärvi National ParkDay2_Group

At the conclusion of the hike, tired participants hopped onto the bus and were driven back to our base. Two evening activities were prepared, a traditional Finish Sauna experience awaited us. The evening ended on a high note with a delicious barbeque

Shaun Dunn and Karambiri Mawa

One thought on “Day 2 – 6th of August – From SMEAR to Helvetinjärvi National Park

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *