Continued exploitation of high biodiversity value forests outside of protected areas in Finland

Abstract

Intensive forestry, particularly clear-cutting, is the primary threat to biodiversity in boreal forests. While forest conservation efforts aim to protect valuable forests, it remains uncertain whether these efforts are effectively safeguarding them in the long-term. To address this question, we assessed whether the most valuable forests in terms of biodiversity conservation are still being lost due to recent harvesting. Using the national map of high biodiversity value forests, we compared the biodiversity values of harvesting sites with those of all forests across Finnish administrative regions. Additionally, we assessed the extent of harvesting and protection within the top 10% of forests with the highest biodiversity value. We used two complementary sources of harvesting data: the Global Forest Change data, showing annual loss of forest cover based on Landsat satellite images, and compulsory forest use notifications filed prior to forestry operations. Our findings indicate that the biodiversity values of harvesting sites increase from north to south and are slightly higher than the average biodiversity values of all forests across all regions. Approximately one-third of the top 10% of forests with the highest biodiversity value are currently protected. Our results show that harvesting affects all forests outside of protected areas irrespective of their biodiversity value. Evaluating the extent of harvest in high biodiversity value forests is essential for assessing the success of current conservation practices and planning future measures.