Wildfires cast shadow over Sevettijärvi as local resident reflects on forest blaze near Jänispää

Heini Wesslin from Sevettijärvi described the recent wildfires, particularly the blaze near Jänispää, as dramatic, sad, and even frightening. Witnessing such a significant forest fire in a place of personal importance was challenging for Wesslin, who initially hesitated to visit the site to see the damage.

“It was so visible and dramatic, especially on such dark evenings,” she said. Nonetheless, Wesslin believes that nature needs fires for renewal. “Life involves some dying so that new life can emerge.”

Esa Huhta, a researcher from the Natural Resources Institute Finland, supports Wesslin’s sentiments, emphasizing the ecological benefits of forest fires for biodiversity. “For humans, wildfires primarily bring economic disadvantages,” Huhta commented. The economic costs arise from the loss of economically valuable forests and the expenses associated with firefighting efforts.

Huhta elaborated that forests naturally regenerate after fires; ash serves as an effective fertilizer, improving soil quality. He predicts that in ten years, the burned areas will host dense young pine growth. Initially, as Huhta notes, grass, fireweed, and birch will emerge, followed by spruce in the south and pine in the north.

Furthermore, burned trees can act as important carbon stores due to their slow decay. Many threatened species, particularly fungi, mosses, lichens, and beetles, rely on decaying wood. “To my knowledge, there are no endangered species in these areas that are threatened by fire,” Huhta stated. Approximately 25% of endangered species face threats due to a lack of dead wood, with around 40 insect species in Finland reliant on fire-affected forests.

As climate change and drought increase the risk of forest and wildfires, signs are already emerging in Lapland. “This summer has been exceptionally intense with an unusual number of wildfires,” Huhta noted.