Northern Lapland Nature Survey 1996-1999

Sihvo Northern Lapland nature survey 19961999 Northern Lapland nature survey 19961999 Sihvo, J Forest and Park Service, Natural Resources Unit, PO Box 36, FIN- 99801 Ivalo, Finland, juhasihvo@metsafi Abstract The survey area includes all the protected and wilderness areas of Northern Lapland and other lands not used for commercial forestry. Altogether the survey area covers about 2.5 million hectares, which accounts for almost 30 % of the land area administered by the Metsähallitus – Forest and Park Service. Interest towards northern nature is increasing. Decision makers need information about nature, its current state, and changes occurring. Informa- tion is needed for planning the use and management of northern natural resources on a sustainable basis. The Forest and Park Service needs information for land use planning and management, for instance in protected and wilderness areas. The Nature Survey gives a firm basis for monitoring envi- ronmental changes. In the Nature Survey every hectars of the study area is classified according to the nature types.The biotopes are identified and their boundaries are marked on aerial infra-red photographs. In addition to aerial photographs, information from other sources, such as old surveys, topographic maps, pre- vious studies and local inhabitants, is utilized. The varios nature types are identified according to topography, vegetation, trees and natureless of the site. Nature types include rock, mineral soil, peatland, water and built environment. From the tree layer tree coverage, volume and species are listed amount other things. Naturalness of a com- partment is estimated using sign and knowledge of earlier timber harvests, deterioration of vegetation and amount of buildings or their remnants. The most important outcome will be a modern and continuously updated geographical information system covering almost the entire northern Lapland. In addition, the data base will make it possible to produce maps and reports for various purpuses. This project has been started in the beginning of 1996 and it has to be completed by the end of year 1999. The budget for this is about 10 million FIM. European Community has granted about 2 million FIM for survey of Urho Kekkonen National Park. 1 Sihvo Northern Lapland nature survey 19961999 1 Survey area 2 Why is mapping Mapping of the ecosystems of the data required? protected areas, wilderness areas and other timberline areas in the North- The northern fell region and timber- ern Lapland District for Wilderness line forests were last mapped in the Management and within Urho Kek- 1940s. Under the leadership of for- konen National Park commenced in ester A. Hiilivirta, the mapping was the summer of 1996. The surface based on field inspections, making area of the region to be inventoried use of the maps available at the time. totals some 2.5 million hectares, The data recorded is imprecise and which amounts to almost 30 % of the outdated. Lemmenjoki and Urho land area under Forest and Park Serv- Kekkonen national parks were ice (FPS) management (Fig. 1). The mapped during the late 1970s to early purpose of this work is to map the 1980s period, making use of mono- habitats, or biotopes, occurring in chrome aerial photographs taken Northern Lapland. Data is being mainly by aircraft. Using a method stored for computer processing on a developed for forestry needs, it is not real time basis. This is not a one-off possible, however, to bring out all the documentation project but the crea- essential features from the standpoint tion of a permanent geographical in- of protected area management and formation system (GIS). use. In the Nature Protection Unit it A rc ti c C Nuorgam ir Strict Nature Reserve cle Utsjoki National Park Paistunturi Kaldoaivi Wilderness Wilderness Area other Protected areas Area Näätämö Wilderness Area Kevo Strict Nature Reserve Sevettijärvi Karigasniemi Vätsäri Wilderness Area Partakko Kilpisjärvi Muotkatunturi Kaamanen 0 50 km Wilderness Area Käsivarsi Wilderness Area Inarijärvi Angeli Inari Nellim Lemmenjoki Lemmenjoki Tsarmitunturi Pöyrisjärvi Wilderness Area Tarvantovaara Wilderness Area National Park Wilderness Area Ivalo Hammastunturi other areas Karesuvanto Wilderness Area Raja-Jooseppi not administered by the FPS Hetta Peltovuoma Saariselkä Lisma Kuttura Pulju not a Nature Survey area Wilderness Urho Kekkonen Area National Park Sompio Strict border of the pine timber line Pokka Vuotso Nature Reserve border of the Nature Survey area Porttipahta Muonio border of the Sámi area Lokka Fig 1 Nature survey area 2 Sihvo Northern Lapland nature survey 19961999 was considered expedient to prepare subjects becomes available after a common biotope inventorying mapping. guideline for the entire country. The The results of ecosystem mapping Northern Lapland District for Wil- published in various forms can be derness Management and Urho benefitted from by e.g. decision- Kekkonen National Park constitute makers, researches, reindeer herds- the first area to which the inventory- men, hunters, berry pickers, and ing method has been applied. those who generally ramble in the Finland has long traditions in wilds for pleasure. matters associated with forest management. Our forests have been 3 How is mapping mapped for forestry purposes for more than a century. One require- carried out? ment of the sustainable use of forests is the availability of up-to-date During mapping, the biotopes are information. A forest management recognised and their boundaries es- plan is required. tablished, i.e. they are depicted us- Data on ecosystems, their state, ing colour aerial infrared photo- and changes in them is also needed graphs (Fig. 2). The different biotopes as a basis for decision making con- are clearly distinguishable from each nected with the management and use other in these so-called false-colour of protected areas and wilderness. aerial photos, because the image on The FPS requires documentable data the aerial photos is based on the re- for land use planning and control. flection of the near infrared radiation Information is needed to make it pos- by the vegetation. Distinguishing dif- sible to manage and use natural re- ferent tree species and different de- sources – both material and non-ma- grees of moisture from false-colour terial – sustainably. aerial photos is thus easier than do- Mapping will provide better ing so e.g. from an aeroplane. In ad- knowledge on the representativeness dition to aerial photos, information of protected areas, making their com- is also obtained from other sources, parison possible. Afterwards we will including old maps, topographic know more about the natural values maps, studies, and local inhabitants. of the protected areas. Mapping data Old maps and documents provide also provides basic information for information on single tree selection studies on protected areas and for cutting and forest management prac- more precise mapping of the vegeta- tices, as well as on pest epidemics. tion. Mapping provides a foundation For instance, data is being entered in for monitoring the state of the envi- the database on the rather extensive ronment and changes taking place Scots pine planting undertaken in therein. Is the Scots pine limit shift- Utsjoki and the northern part of Inari ing? Are the birch woods damaged in the 1920–50 period north of the by the autumnal moth recovering? present Scots pine limit. FPS forest Up-to-date data on these and other fire reports furnish us with information about fires that have raged in the 3 Sihvo Northern Lapland nature survey 19961999 COURTECY OF FM-KARTTA 5 km Fig 2 The biotopes are identified and their boundaries are marked on areal infrared region as far back as the late 1800s. land, water, or a heritage or cultural Further information has been ob- environment. The canopy coverage tained on the damage caused by the (%), amount of timber (cu.m), and autumnal moth in the Utsjoki fell dis- tree species composition, among tricts during the 1960s, and on the other things, are determined for tree extent of this destruction, from stud- stands. “Natural state” is assessed ies carried out on the outbreak. according to e.g. cuttings, physical Biotopes are determined on the damage to the vegetation, and con- basis of the terrain, vegetation, tree struction. The inventorying method stand, and closeness to the natural is based on evaluation of the data state. A biotope may consist of ex- regarding the characteristics of the posed bedrock, mineral soil, peat- biotope. In the evaluation the classi- 4 Sihvo Northern Lapland nature survey 19961999 fication system is incorporated in the showing Northern Lapland’s ecosys- GIS. This forms the biotope with the tems and biotopes. Once the GIS data desired definition in each case. base is ready, it is possible to pro- The documentation work is di- duce themetic maps (Fig. 3) and re- vided into two stages. In summer, the ports for various purposes from the surveyors visit the terrain and deter- material gathered. mine how the various biotopes are distinguished on the aerial photo- graph. Owing to the size of the area 5 EU financing being mapped, it is not possible to visit every point in the terrain, so the The overall costs of the ecosystem surveyor carefully selects the aerial mapping are around FIM 10 million. photographs beforehand by studying Funds to the total amount of FIM 1 those areas in which he or she will million have been received from the perform field inspections. The aim EU’s construction fund target 6 pro- is to obtain as comprehensive a set gramme for the Urho Kekkonen Na- of data as possible on the different tional Park part of the project. In ad- biotopes of the area. Field inspec- dition, FIM 50,000 has been obtained tions are carried out over about 10 from the European social reserve % of the total surface area. Making (ESR), and a further FIM 20,000 of use of these keys to interpretation, provincial development funds to help the actual interpretation is then car- meet the costs of the project’s train- ried out in the winter as an indoor ing phase.

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