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Moratoriums
In 1996, Stora Enso (then Enso) declared a moratorium covering potentially valuable old-growth forests in Russian Karelia and the Murmansk Region. The company stated that it would refuse to buy wood from certain disputed areas defined by Russian NGOs until the ecological characteristics of these areas were fully inventoried, and decisions were made on the conservation of valuable areas.
Inventories of these areas have continued since 1996. Some areas such as the Kalevala Park in Russian Karelia have already been designated for conservation, while other areas, where no valuable features were found, have subsequently been removed from moratoriums.
The moratorium areas are indicated on the GIS maps used by Stora Enso and the Group's partners in Russia.
Logging Moratorium in Pääjärvi
Logging moratoriums declared in 1996 covered more than 60% of the forest resources of the Pääjärvi Harvesting Enterprise (Pääjärvi Lespromkhoz). The moratorium covered almost all the area's mature forests, which were defined as potentially valuable old-growth forest. The total area affected was more than three times as large as the existing Paanajärvi National Park. This moratorium put the entire future of the Pääjärvi Harvesting Enterprise at risk.
The management of the Pääjärvi Harvesting Enterprise took an active role in resolving the subsequent dispute. After negotiations with Russian NGOs, meetings and public hearings, an area sufficient to ensure the sustainable future operations of the enterprise was released from the moratorium. Large areas are still covered by the moratorium, and future decisions are awaited.
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