Forest and factory fun

 The host mothers of the exchange students arranged a few educational outings for us during our time on the farms.  I visited Saara’s cousin’s log house building site, attended a forestry measurement competition, enjoyed a family lunch in the forest, took a ride in a feller-buncher, and visited a Valio butter factory.

Saara’s cousin, Mustis, is an entrepreneur who has his own log house building company.  He spent some time in Japan teaching the Japanese how to build log houses properly and has since come back to Finland to continue working. At the time of my stay at Marttila farm, Mustis was building a house about 20 minutes away and we took a drive to see the progress. It was two-story house made of Finnish-grown Scots pine and was very beautiful though it was not yet completed. Some of the unique features I saw were the thick, double-boarded walls that eliminate the need for additional insulation and the extra space allowed on the beams supporting the roof, so that when the snow falls heavily the roof can settle a little on the upper level. Like most Finnish houses, it will have heated floors for the cold winter months and, of course, a sauna.  Many people dream of owning a house so finely crafted.

A few of the exchange students got to attend a competition in the forest that involved taking accurate forest measurements as fast as possible using only a relaskop.  There were about 14 different areas where measurements were made such as forest type, best treatment option, basal area, timber volume, diameter, area, diversity ranking, age, what trees are best to thin and more. We walked the course making estimates at each stop and trying to stay out of the way of the competitors. Most of the contenders were older gentlemen who were experienced in forest management. My host dad, Kyösti, would have competed if he weren’t so busy harvesting. This was a good opportunity to practice the skills we learned in Silviculture while experiencing a popular pastime of Finnish forest lovers.  I’ve heard many times during my time in Finland that that, “Finns live in the forest,” and have a very unique degree of closeness to it as a result.

On Sunday we had a multi-family gathering in Käskyvuori where we took a hike on one of the few hills and protected recreational forests in the area. It was a rocky and scenic trip with a nice view from the top of the ‘mountain’.  We hiked in quite the spread and made a fire in a vacant public cabin to enjoy lunch together. We had grilled makkara (sausage), “stick buns” (dough cooked on the end of a stick), cookies, coffee, and berry tarts. This is a traditional Finnish BBQ and was perfect for typical Finnish autumn weather; rain.  Kyösti’s brother in law, Jorma, is the principal of the Tuormarniemi campus and he came to talk to the exchange students at lunch. He pointed some interesting things out on a map about the area and land section descriptions for the surrounding counties. He asked us about forests in California, our majors and our trip in Finland so far.  It was a great opportunity to meet him and his wife, ask questions and enjoy lunch together.  When we left to hike down the hill after lunch it had stopped raining and was even more beautiful out than the hike up. 

Wednesday I went with George, Valerie and her host mother, Liisa, to an old railway station for lunch and then to the forest to see thinning in action. Jukka, a man who harvests for Kyösti and other forest owners around Jalasjärvi, took us to two different forest sites where Ponsse feller-bunchers were harvesting. The first site was undergoing a first round thinning treatment.  We got to ride in the harvester with the operator and it was astonishing to see all the different controls in the cabin as well as the precision needed to fell and stack timber without damaging the other trees. Jukka pointed out to us the fungicidal spray applied to each stump to prevent the spread of pathogens across the stand. At the second site a strip of trees was being cleared to make room for a water pipe being. There were much larger pieces of timber being removed and stacked to make room for the construction. This time Jukka let us push a button on the harvester to cut the timber to size in a pile. We felt pretty cool having partially operated a feller buncher!  Jukka was a very knowledgeable and friendly guy to take time out of his busy schedule to show us timber management in action.

Thursday we were taken on a tour of Valio, the 6^th largest dairy producer in Finland by Antti Tukeva, the managing director at the facility. Antti met us for lunch and gave us an informational presentation about the company before taking us on a tour. The factory in Seinajoki only produces butter, but this international group also makes milk, yogurt, cheese and more.  We wore some very stylish body suits for the vital hygiene standards at the extremely sterile factory.   We got to see where the milk trucks enter the factory, the containers that hold the milk, where the milk is processed into butter and packaged for sale.  After working on dairy farms our Valio trip showed us a little about what happens to that milk after it leaves the farm and why it is so important to uphold milk safety standards before the milk even leaves the farm.  After showing us around and asking our questions, we had coffee and parted ways but not before Antti gifted us lovely silk scarves for visiting. It was a privilege to simply get a tour of the factory and though the gift was completely unnecessary, I will think of how welcome Antti made us feel at Valio every time I wear the scarf or use Valio dairy products.

The incredible hospitality we have been shown throughout this trip is something I will always appreciate and never forget. Our host school teachers, families on the farms, even people we met for only a day show us that Finland is a great country full of welcoming and proud people who enjoy sharing their passions with interested visitors.  I encourage these new friends to come visit me in California so I can reciprocate the courtesy they have shown me here.

Mustis's Log house

Kyösti, Saara and Mustis

Forest measurement competition

Family hike

View from the top

Recreational cabin for the public

Jorma, Principal of the Tuomarniemi campus

Lunch at the railway station

Fungicidal spray on stumps

Carpooling

Clearing a path for the water pipe

Jukka, Val, and I in the feller-buncher

Exchange students tour Valio

Presentation by Antti

Factory observation room

Control room