The city of Jämsä is trying to get the landowners on its side so that the plan for an official outdoor trail can be realized. It would be of great importance, for example, to nature tourism in the Himos region.
Jämsä is planning a permanent outdoor trail that would measure almost 170 kilometers. The route would be suitable for nature tourism, but it would also be a joy for local outdoor enthusiasts.
The fact that around 250 private properties fall on the route lands makes it more difficult. Many landowners have reservations about permanent routes.
At Yle’s request, the parties have gathered for a joint evening campfire at Myllyjärvi’s lean-to in Jämsä Juokslahti.
– Drafts should have been made for handling the villages, because we know the landowners here. And the route is intended for people other than tourists, Värelä reminds.
The official route is permanent
The status of an official outdoor trail means that the city of Jämsä gets a permanent right to use the trail. Then separate agreements with landowners are no longer needed. In return, the city takes care of the maintenance of the route.
According to Mäkinen, a permanent route guarantees that the outdoor career will not be interrupted. In this regard, mutual agreements are not always trusted. However, the city of Jämsä does not want to rule out a partial contract model either.
– Individual contracts are a bit problematic, because for one reason or another they tend to break when, for example, an inheritance becomes the owner. We have experience with these, for example, from the track network, he says.
But in order to establish an outdoor route, a route plan and route delivery are needed. These are governed by the Outdoor Activities Act.
In the route plan, you must describe the course of the route and the properties through which the route passes, as well as what kind of outdoor activities are allowed on the route.
– Hiking and cycling would be allowed on the Himos-Jämsä route, also with electric bikes. Motor vehicles and horses would have no business going there, says Antti Mäkinen.
The Land Surveying Office is responsible for route delivery. It can only be done when the ely center has confirmed the route plan. Jämsä’s plan is to be confirmed during the winter. Landowners have the right to issue reminders.
– However, the truth is that the Jämsä area must also develop, and there is already a tourist center here. If we compare it to areas of the same size, Tahko, Syöte, Vierumäki, we will soon be on our feet if we don’t improve, says Mäkinen.
\”It’s a burden and there will be costs\”
An official outdoor trail is a burden on the forest property. It remains even if the forest changes hands. The landowners suspect that the official route will bring a lot of people moving into the forests and thus extra work.
– It’s a burden and it becomes a cost. You have to be careful with routes, for example, when harvesting wood. When there is a track of a roller on the path, that’s why the cyclist raises his milk, what is this, I caught the machines! I don’t think the city will repair the damage, says Antti Olkkonen.
Not everyone on the log cabin trusts that they know how to move in nature.
– There are starting to be many kinds of passers-by, and you don’t necessarily know how to walk in the mehti. Who will replace, say, a forest fire started by a cigarette butt? There have already been two of these fires in our own forests, says Markku Sipilä.
What if the landowner also got something?
Landowners are also bothered by the compensation paid for the use of the soil, which is usually hundreds of euros. Reimbursements will be determined in due course in the route delivery.
Therefore, the proposals that emerged on the porch are warming.
And get an answer from Markku Sipila right away.
– This is the first time I’ve heard of this! The landowner would also get something.
Cooperation between outdoor enthusiasts and landowners is seen as important in order to reach the terrain in harmony.