Greenpeace traces trees illegally felled in Russia to Finnish factories
Activists track five loads of timber from Russian forests to Finnish paper mill gates
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Finnish and Russian forest activists believe that they have proof that Finnish paper manufacturers use wood that has been illegally felled in Russian Karelia.
last summer the activists working with Greenpeace found numerous areas of forest felled in a manner that violates Russian law, or where the actual felling differed from what had been reported.
In five cases trees cut down in the area were taken by truck to the Finnish side for use by the paper manufacturers Stora Enso or UPM-Kymmene.
As proof, the activists have photographs and videotape that they took while monitoring the felling, and while following the transport of the loads across the border.
The areas where the trees were cut down are near the city of Sortavala, on the northern and northwestern side of Lake Ladoga.
Greenpeace forest expert Sini Harkki says that in all of the areas, official reports indicated that only minimal thinning and forest improvement work took place. In reality, the felling was on a massive commercial scale.
"In some areas the amount of wood that has been taken is many times greater than what would be permitted", she says.
Greenpeace uses the term "forest crime" in reference to the kind of illegal felling that it witnessed. The organisation notes that it took place without the environmental impact assessments that are required by Russian law.
"Since 1997 Russia has required environmental impact assessments in connection with all felling. This has been missing in all of these five cases", Harkki says.
She adds, however, that it is unclear if importing wood that has been unlawfully felled abroad is actually illegal in Finland.
"Nevertheless, illegal felling could end, or be reduced if there were a ban on importing such wood into the EU. We also want more efficient licencing and better cooperation among customs officials."
A large number of activists were involved in the Greenpeace investigation. There were between 10 and 20 people in the group operating in Russia, and from five to ten in Finland.
Harkki says that many local officials in Russia look the other way when illegal felling occurs.
On the other hand, Greenpeace was helped by local officials in its search for areas where illegal tree cutting had taken place.
"There are officials in Russia who want to promote legal felling", Harkki notes.
Greenpeace plans to publish its report on the subject later this week. A group of Russian experts are expected in Finland at that time.
The European Commission is currently drawing up proposals for regulations aimed at preventing the import of illegally harvested timber. Finnish paper companies are opposed to the idea, because they feel that the companies themselves have the means to prevent illegal felling in Russia, and that more legislation would simply increase bureaucracy in wood imports.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 19.9.2006 - TODAY |
 Greenpeace traces trees illegally felled in Russia to Finnish factories
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