We met Elina and Kirta, two master's level forestry students, at TAMK University at 11. About a month ago, many of us attended a lecture on trees and forests in Finland as part of the Finnish Culture and Society series. The topic was so interesting and made me wonder: what better way to learn about nature than to explore it? Not to mention, we're foreign students who have much more to learn here. At the end of class, I asked the professor if there were any students willing to take us on a field trip around the forest. He said he would pass my contact information along. A few weeks later, I got an e-mail from the two forestry students. They were enthused to do the project because it would earn them 1 ECTS credit point. We met to discuss the plan: a power point presentation, a walk into the forest, a quiz, and a prize. It sounded great. They were doing lot of work, and I didn't know what to expect.
And it turned out very well. The girls took us on a path that lasted a bit over an hour, pointing out certain trees (Scots pine, Norway spruce, birch) and sharing facts about Finland's forests. I was excited to hear that Finland is the most forested country in Europe, with about 70 percent of the land covered in forest. It explains why so much of Finnish culture is tied to nature. Sixty-one percent of forests are privately owned, while the state owns 25 percent; companies own 9 percent and other organizations, 5 percent. Finland's "Everyman's Right" allows people to walk around or camp in any forest or countryside. Moreover, they can pick berries and mushrooms as they please.
Here are some pictures from the trip:
(Elina places us on the map and explains the route we'll take.)
(And we're off!)
(Uzair takes home the prize: "The Kalevala" translated into English)
I have two exams tomorrow, so I can't write much more. But I really had a nice time and hope to do it again.
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