The forestry engineer assures us that the forest in the reserve has not been felled for destruction or profit.
In Mikkeli’s Kalevankanka, management felling has been carried out both in the protected area and in the urban forest.
The length of the thinning work and the large number of trees may be surprising, partly due to the fact that, in addition to the protected area, a normal urban forest has also been managed in the same area.
– We are thinning out younger trees so that the area can develop into a vibrant urban forest. We’ll leave some untouched areas here.
While moving around in the area, Kangasaho has received mostly positive feedback.
– People have liked that it is now more open to move around here.
According to Kangasaho, the city of Mikkeli has no financial goals for urban forests, and no trees have been cut down for the sake of euros.
– We are moving very carefully. Enough wood is taken to keep the area ecologically sustainable and healthy. The amount of wood is very small compared to what could be obtained from a commercial forest.
In the Kalevankanka area, mainly the spruce has been removed, which, according to Kangasaho, would not survive in the area.
– It won’t grow into a proper tree in these nutrient conditions. Spruce is removed in order to replace it with young pine and thereby provide continuity for this pine fabric.