The reason for this is the fir’s good cone crop during the previous few summers. The squirrel population has been calculated using game triangles and it describes the strength of the population in forest areas, but not in urban environments.
The squirrel population has grown explosively in Kainuu.
The squirrel is a declining species in other parts of Northern Finland, but the quintuple population of squirrels in Kainuu is an exception to the rule.
– According to research, the pine cone harvest regulates the squirrel population. In those years when there are a lot of fir cones, the squirrel makes more and bigger cubs. If the chicks survived last winter, they are very hungry because there were no cones this summer.
The squirrel population has been calculated using game triangles and it describes the strength of the population in forest areas, but not in urban environments.
_The topic can be discussed until Wednesday, September 7, at 11 p.m._.
_Read more Kainuu news online at Yle Uutisten._