A forest services provider must master forest management from stump to stump, so to speak, meaning the entire life-cycle of commercial forests, from soil preparation and renewal to the next felling. Or, as Janne summarises the principle of his work:
“You always strive to make the forest grow into healthy log wood.”
Good work results speak for themselves
For the past 15 years, Janne’s principal employer has been Metsä Group, and Susanna Niemi, operations supervisor, has been his contact person at Metsä for quite a while.
“A good forest worker produces good results and is flexible. Based on ten years of experience, my cooperation with Janne is very smooth,” says Niemi.
As proof of good work results, Janne has never had to put money into marketing. He believes this is because word of a job well done spreads far and wide. That is why he wants every cleared site to look neat to passers-by, as well.
“Others in the area notice that their neighbour has put their forest in good shape, and that, in turn, can generate additional sales,” Janne explains.
Janne and Susanna are often in touch by phone, since both of them feel that good personal chemistry and communication are important, even if work is largely planned, supervised and controlled through computer systems these days. According to Janne, his cooperation with Metsä has been good even during slower periods. In winters with less snow, work has been offered evenly around the year.
With his feet firmly planted in the forest, Janne understands that snowy winters are also part of life in Finland. They are times when other entrepreneurs get down to work with their harvesters.
“It ultimately benefits us, too, since it means forest regeneration work the following summer.”
The importance of forest biodiversity to the hunter
An avid hunter, Janne is familiar with the movement of animals. He is pleased with the mobile application adopted by Metsä Group, in which you can mark the protective thickets important to game.
“They play an important role to birds and game, offering them a place to overnight and hide,” Janne explains.
Protective thickets are not a delight to animals alone; the forest is more pleasing to the human eye, as well, if it is not too open. According to Janne, the recreational use of forests is also taken into account in well managed commercial forests. In Susanna Niemi’s opinion, you can also find biodiversity in managed forests, in the form of buffer zones, for example. Shores and other environmentally valuable sites are excluded from felling, as far as possible.
For Janne, good forest management and biodiversity are not mere words but truly close to his heart. His whole manner shows that he feels at home in the forest. Over the year, he spends at least 200 days in the forest.
“The forest means the world to me.”
To Janne’s satisfaction, the forest bug also seems to have bitten his offspring, with his older daughter now taking an interest in orienteering.
“I’m still working on the younger one,” Janne chuckles.