This framing seems a little odd. The wolves that lived in the area fled the clear cutting, there are no wolves roaming in villages here. This is a country with a long and dark history of farmer wolf hate, so this headline irks me for that reason. The Guardian article states the hearsay from one person seeing the wolves fleeing the cutting.
This whole thing is so depressing. All the local libs are like “how could Google do this” and yet nobody comes even close to class analysis on it and how we clearly still have no say in how land is used here. The history of Finnish lumber capitalism is dark af and one big reason for local bougies going full nazi was the “green gold” of Karelia. The industry was heavily tied to the British empire and later nazi germany. This is just a continuation of that.
The lumber lobby has exceptional say in government, always has and a local saying is that we have a “special finnish nature relationship” which means the tendency to destroy everything green or living without second though.
The lumber capitalists used to spread agent orange here for weed control, the majority never even was aware of it. Such nordic green capitalism…
Also the mythical finnish forests have indeed been a myth for a long ass time. When you go anywhere here today the nature you are most likely to see is clear cut lumber monoculture. The stuff in the tourist brochures really doesn’t relate to reality.
The practices of the forestry industry have been so destructive and there really isn’t much old forest left. The oldest and most diverse small patches of forest are often near cities where it gets preserved as an area for the urban dwellers by the city. Or carefully selected in tourist heavy areas like Saamenmaa, but the areas are tiny compared to how big the country is. In more rural areas there hasn’t been much diverse forest present in a long long time now, Finnish Karelia for example is pretty depressing. It’s mostly wood farming monoculture practices that render the forests vulnerable to pests and destroy the environment.
All the land has been dried for maximum lumber output. Trout used to migrate through the forests here a hundred years ago, there is nothing to migrate through now. The wolves and other big predators are hated by the hunting kulaks who both poach and “legally” kill as many as they can. The legality comes from the bougie state that is very much an arm of these same interests. They get to do whatever they want. Same as in mining. The Sami have been driven off their land and the latest bougies to enter the picture in Saamenmaa are israeli business people who are in bed with the local bougies.
None of it is environmental, it’s always been like this since the country became “european”. Back when there was a slash and burn culture here the relationship to land was complelety different, no land ownership existed. The only positive that is still left over from this is the fairly strong right to roam law, but the bougies hate it. I am sure it will go next.
As somebody coming from a country that also barely has any old growth forest left, where wolves were hunted to extinction and where their return has been constantly used as a talking point by a far right party courting the votes of petit bourgeois farmers, i find that depressingly relatable.
So, literally every western European country?
I had to check a map to compare historic and re-introduced ranges of wolves, and i sadly didn’t even have to check a map for the fascists, but yes.
My first impression upon moving there was that Finland is far more ecologically conscious than the US. But at this point I fully agree with what you said about old-growth preserves being carefully managed around cities. It’s propaganda to keep the liberals ignorant of how bad it is once you venture out… that’s my feeling at the moment. Appreciate the historical context you added, as always.
Indeed and you don’t often need to go much out of a city forest to get to the depressing bit. Near me there is a hiking trail that becomes a clear logged land of sad only a few kilometres in. It’s very distressing.
Finland still has very very beautiful nature. I really like it and it’s worth preserving.
Farmers just hate wolves so much. They put up propaganda billboards along the roadways near me basically advocating for exterminating the tiny locally endangered population, trying to get hunters to shoot them or getting tourists to complain to the government.
Every time I see that shit I just think maybe it isn’t the wolves that need to be culled.
Yup.
Also this is why I was almost irrationally pissed at the wolf scenes in the new Frankestein movie. They were totally uncalled for and represented wolves as some violent thing that just attacks humans, as does all the shitty wolfhate in our cultures. Including childrens stories.
One of the coolest things ever was me once years ago seeing a wolf jog past my balcony on a wintery night while I was out for a smoke. An amazing animal.
The closest thing I’ve had to a wolf experience was petting a dog as a kid and then finding out later that it was actually a coyote.
I wish I could see a wolf, they’re truly incredible animals.
Yeah usually farmers just want money when they complain about something but they actually hate wolves.
The history of Finnish lumber capitalism is dark af and one big reason for local bougies going full nazi was the “green gold” of Karelia. The industry was heavily tied to the British empire and later nazi germany. This is just a continuation of that.
I bet that could be extrapolated to just “lumber capitalism.”
This is a country with a long and dark history of farmer wolf hate
👏 let wolves farm👏
yeah i just don’t understand how anyone can hate a wolf in overalls
The Finns are so cursed. Half of their whole culture revolves around loving forests and recognizing ‘good wood’ but they will destroy swathes at the drop of a hat.
The Finnish bourgeoisie has shown itself to be both willing and able to disregard any aspect of preserving local nature if given the promise of profits. In fact, the same bougies have been fucking over the Sámi minorities’ rights for at least as long as modern Finland has existed. The absolute hypocrisy of the Finnish elite is frankly disgusting.
FinnishbourgeoisieYes, obviously. Been confronted with examples from the Finnish subtype lately, so wanted to rail against those rotten shitbags specifically.
How can we teach wolfs to use drones?
Never ask a Finnish wolf which side its great-great-great-great-grandparents were on in WWII
There are two wolves inside you, and they’re fighting over who gets your liver.
Wow, symbolism really is dead
