Establishing habitats is a significant tool for regenerative land use, and more than 12 hectares of different biodiversity areas have been established in Kemi mill, our regenerative land use pilot site. More habitats will be established this summer as well.
At the core of establishing habitats are local wild plants. The seeds used to cultivate the new habitats have been collected by hand from nearby areas and sown with carefully selected seed mixtures. The genetic heritage of a single seed carries with it the history, adaptability and ecological potential of the area.
Locality is an ecological value
When lawns in the mill area are replaced with meadows, where native species such as red campion (Silene dioica), wood cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum) or mountain everlasting (Antennaria dioica) grow, the goal is to strengthen biodiversity.
The aim is to spread the region's native species, which over time have best adapted to the areas’ soil, microclimate, pathogens and food web.
Using local wild plants represents the preservation of genetic diversity. By collecting seeds from nearby areas, it is ensured that the plants are hereditarily local. This genetic locality serves as the blueprint for the habitat being established, as it determines the types of biotic communities that can form in the area and how they withstand environmental changes.
Native plants attract other native species to the area, such as insects and birds that are directly or indirectly dependent on them. One key species can be the lifeblood of dozens of other species, including endangered ones. Thus, in regenerative land use, plants form the basis on which the biodiversity of the mill area is built.
Experimentation and cultural change
Regenerative land use is not a single action, but an ongoing process that requires experimentation and cooperation. In the Kemi mill area, unused side streams from the mills production line, such as lime sludge and bark sand, have been utilized as habitat substrates. With lime sludge we aim to meet the habitat requirements of calcicolous plants, and with bark sand, we can find use for an otherwise unused side stream.
We monitore the growth of the plants sown in the side stream fields, and the first findings on the suitability of side streams as substrates for native plants will be obtained this year.
Utilizing side streams demonstrates that industrial production and nature-enhancing activities can ideally support each other. This symbiosis is the target of our regenerative land use.
Small choices lead to change
We are committed to safeguarding biodiversity. The methods for achieving the biodiversity targets are defined in our biodiversity portfolio. In addition to regenerative land use, the portfolio includes regenerative forestry, the funding programme for nature projects, the forest industries’ biodiversity roadmap and, as a recent addition, the forest conservation foundation.
Together, all parts of our biodiversity portfolio create a comprehensive body that addresses not only our own biodiversity goals but also society's expectations set for us. When we aim to strengthen the state of nature, we also aim to strengthen the position and future of our company.
The emphasis on the origin of a single seed may seem like an insignificant detail in the light of all our operations. However, sowing native plants in mill areas is a good example of how small actions can affect a vaster whole.
Every seed sown is part of a larger target – strengthening biodiversity. At the same time, regenerative land use challenges us to perceive nature in a different way: not in isolation from the built environment, but as a visible and meaningful part of our everyday operating environment, also in the mill area.