Implementation of Forest Act habitats in Finland: Does it protect the right habitats for threatened species?

New forestry practices have been developed during the past decade in order to enhance biodiversity in managed forests. In Finland, Forest Act legislation has attempted to identify a set of key habitats (Forest Act habitats) to conserve biodiversity. The importance of Forest Act habitats (FAHs) for threatened vascular plants, lichens and bryophytes was studied in SW Finland. Of the populations of threatened species outside nature reserves 78% occurred in habitat types included in the Forest Act, but only 28% of the populations occurred in sites fulfilling the criteria defined in the Act. Most of these populations occurred in herb-rich forests, cliff forests and rock outcrops serving as hot spot habitats for threatened species. However, only 4% of the populations of threatened species occurring in sites fulfilling the criteria of the Forest Act were actually located in sites defined as FAHs by the forestry authorities. Furthermore, recent logging activities had often reduced the quality of defined FAH. In principle, FAHs have a potential to protect biodiversity in boreal forests, provided that the Act is properly implemented. However, the current study revealed an obvious gap between the Finnish forest legislation and its practical application, due to which the biodiversity targets of the Forest Act have been poorly fulfilled.