Woodland
The City of Oulu owns about 22,000 hectares of timberland. There are about 2,012 hectares of protected woodland and mires, amounting to about 9 per cent of the timberland surface area. The largest protected woodland area, comprising about 1,050 hectares, is located in the eastern part of the Sanginjoki outer forest.
Woodland owned by the City of Oulu contains about 1,9 million m3 of timber. The City has a forest management plan for the years 2011 through 2020, containing both forest inventory and proposals regarding management and felling for the planning period.
Forests are maintained according to the principles of sustainable use, with thinning and regeneration felling. Other types of silvicultural tasks include planting or sowing trees and soil preparation, as well as maintenance of saplings, drainage and maintenance of forest roads.
Reasons leading to woodland maintenance measures in urban areas include the following:
- the state of the trees and need for maintenance; overdensity or comparable issues => maintenance aims to ensure the healthy growth and variety in the forest environment
- needs and wishes of residents
- sapling/willow overgrowth
- storm damage repairs
According to the Public Right of Access ("Everyman's right"), activities such as roaming and picking berries are allowed in woodland or water areas. A temporary permit for the use of the area is required for competitions, events, and other similar activities.
