STORA ENSO: Harvesting site inspections in Finland completed, harvesting resumed – Earlier notified stream site inspected by environmental authority

Stora Enso has completed its inspections of harvesting sites in Finland with high nature values. The inspections took place following the environmental violation in Hukkajoki, Finland on 15 August. The inspections show that no additional non-compliance cases have been detected in the assessed areas. As a result, harvesting operations at all inspected sites in Finland have been resumed.

During the inspections, the operational guidelines, harvesting plans, and risks related to the harvesting sites were reassessed. In addition to the site inspections, Stora Enso has initiated additional training on environmental policies, and the Company is carrying out a comprehensive audit with a third party of all wood procurement planning, implementation and control processes. Furthermore, the Company has completed an internal investigation into the Hukkajoki environmental violation.

Stora Enso had notified the environmental authorities of Kainuu ELY Centre on 28 August of one suspected non-compliance regarding crossing a stream inhabited by the freshwater pearl mussel. ELY Centre carried out an inspection to the stream site on 5 September. Kainuu ELY Centre carried out an inspection of the stream site in question in Puolanka, Finland on 5 September. Based on their observations, there has been activity at the site that violates the Nature Conservation Act, and this will lead to further measures. However, according to ELY Centre's press release of 6 September, the Puolanka site differs from the Hukkajoki site both in terms of the characteristics of the stream and its surroundings and the scale of the occurred activity, and therefore does not require the same type of acute restoration measures as the Hukkajoki site.