In autumn, the forests of Helsinki are perfect for hiking, mushroom picking and berry picking. Forest Services Manager Mikko Vuohelainen from Stara shares five tips for enjoying the autumn forests.
There are 4,600 hectares of forested areas within the boundaries of Helsinki, which Forest Services Manager Mikko Vuohelainen from Helsinki City Construction Services, Stara, knows like the back of his hand. After all, he has been working with them for almost 40 years.
“The most interesting thing about my job is seeing the slow changes that take place in forests. If you live next to a forest, the change is so slow that you may not notice it. But if you visit the same place every 5 or 10 years, the changes in the landscape become clear,” Vuohelainen says.
Now Vuohelainen shares some tips on what to look out for on autumn forest hikes.
Sometimes Helsinki residents submit feedback to the City about forests being untidy. However, a forest that appears unmanaged is often a piece of diverse woodland nature with a wide variety of habitats for plants and animals.
“It's interesting to observe what kinds of terrain you're moving through. Personally, I like forests that have varied landscapes; mature and old stands, young and vigorous stands, both dense and looser thinned areas.”
Typical forest landscapes in Helsinki include lush forests and rocky pine stands. Lush forests can be found around Vantaanjokilaakso and in the forest zone that connects Hallainvuori to Saunalahdenranta in Herttoniemi, for example. If you are looking for more rugged forests, you can head to Kallahdenharju, Tahvonlahdenniemi in Laajasalo and the rocky terrain of the Kivikko forest area.
While hiking in a forest, Vuohelainen recommends checking whether there are trees of different ages in it. In them you can see the cycle of nature: small seedlings grow over the years into large, sturdy trees, which in turn eventually become slowly decaying fallen trees.
If you want to get away from the sounds of traffic, Vuohelainen recommends visiting larger forest areas or the island of Vartiosaari in autumn.
“There is no car traffic on Vartiosaari, so the area is exceptionally quiet and peaceful. I enjoy the occasional stroll around the island myself.”
You can also seek silence in the Talosaari outdoor recreation area northeast of Vuosaari or in the extensive outdoor forest areas owned by Helsinki in Nuuksio.
Helsinki leaves a lot of decaying wood in its forests, which is a valuable raw material for biodiversity. In Central Park, for example, there is decaying wood almost everywhere you look.
“The decaying wood in Central Park includes both felled and fallen trees. The decaying tree trunks have been left a little ways away from the paths so as not to obstruct movement.”
Decaying wood benefits insects, fungi and plants alike. The range of species that feed on each decaying trunk vary depending on the stage of decay of the trunk and the species of tree, among other factors.
The forests of Helsinki are home to reindeer, deer, foxes and badgers, among others. The animals are shy of humans, but with luck you might still catch a glimpse of them.
“Sightings of Eurasian lynxes are also occasionally reported in Helsinki. They have been seen in Hallainvuori, for example.”
In autumn, you can find lingonberries especially in sparse woodland areas with few trees. In these areas, the dwarf shrubs on the ground get plenty of sunlight and pollinators thrive. In a good mushroom year, you can find mushrooms in pretty much every forest.
Vuohelainen advises mushroom pickers to head to places such as the Talosaari outdoor recreation area or Östersundom.
In recent years, Helsinki has been working to prevent the spread of harmful bark beetles, such as European spruce bark beetles, in its forests. European spruce bark beetles can cause significant damage, especially in old spruce stands. Because of this, Stara cuts down spruce trees that have been infested by the beetles and transports the trunks out of the forests.
If the European spruce bark beetles are not immediately noticed, it is no use removing the dead trees later. After a year, dead trees infested with them serve as habitats for other insects that feed on the European spruce bark beetles.
If you are interested in the patterns made by bark beetles on the trunks of spruce trees, you can see them in Central Park by walking a little off the main trails.
“You can look for bark beetle feeding patterns in dead spruce trees that have been stripped of their bark. A single tree usually has feeding patterns created by several different bark beetle species. The most common are the European spruce bark beetle, the six-toothed spruce bark beetle, the Small spruce bark beetle and Tetropium beetles,” Vuohelainen says.
