Harvest residue removal in promoting sustainable forestry and reindeer husbandry

Local livelihoods and sustainable land use in the northern region are facing increasing pressures due to climate change and globalization. In Lapland, especially the traditional reindeer husbandry based on natural pastures and the local cultural heritage associated with reindeer husbandry are under great adaptation pressures. At the same time, the importance of forest resources is increasing as they act as carbon sinks and renewable sources for energy and material. Finding ways to combine the needs of reindeer husbandry and sustainable forestry is central for the climate-resistant adaptability of both livelihoods. The removal of harvest residues has been brought up several times as one potential way to promote the coordination of forestry and reindeer husbandry and to improve the adaptability of traditional reindeer husbandry. Despite this, the overall effects of harvest residue removal on the profitability and sustainability of reindeer husbandry and forestry in Lapland have not been systematically analyzed before.

In this project, harvest residue removal from lichen pastures is piloted in state-owned forests located in the reindeer management area, and the costs and benefits for forestry and reindeer husbandry are investigated. The goal of the project is to produce an estimate of the overall effects of harvest residue removal on forestry and reindeer husbandry. The project will investigate how much time it takes to pile harvesting residues in non-lichen-covered areas, and what kind of total costs this creates. Long-term experimental areas are also established in the project. In these areas the long-term the effects of harvesting residues on the most important food plants for reindeer and on forest regeneration in the reindeer herding area will be monitored. Economic-ecological models of reindeer husbandry and forestry will also be utilized in this project to evaluate the overall effects of harvesting residue removal on reindeer-pasture-forestry system and on its long-term economic output.

The project aims to provide practical information and means to improve the coordination and co-operation between reindeer husbandry and forestry and to improve their resilience in a changing environment. The project is carried out in close cooperation between research (Natural Resources Institute) and livelihoods (Kemin-Sompion paliskunta and Metsähallitus). Both livelihoods and research participate in all phases of the project, and the project is planned and executed based on shared knowledge and views.