Arvi Valmari

Suot sodanjälkeisessä asutustoiminnassa

Valmari A. Suot sodanjälkeisessä asutustoiminnassa.

English title: Peatlands in the postwar colonization

Tiivistelmä

After the Second World War appreciable areas of land in Finland were cleared for cultivation to replace cultivated fields lost in the war, in order to reach self-sufficiency in food production and to satisfy the need for land. The clearance of unproductive fens in northern Finland enabled the preservation of an equivalent area of productive forest in the central and southern parts of the country. One hectare of forest saved in this way can be estimated to have produced 160 m3 of wood from 1949 to the present time. The colonization of Salla district in northern Finland is discussed in detail. The area of cultivated land increased by a factor of 12.3 during 1945-1969. The clearance remained unfinished, however, so that only a few of the farms reached the planned size and settlement remained smaller than intended. Nevertheless, information to date does not give any indication of cattle being given up any more rapidly on the colonization farms than on the old farms. The area of peatland as a part of the whole cultivation has decreased but peat is still an essential feature in the agriculture of Lapland. The abundant supply of humus throughout the land is largely due to the peat. The greenhouse effect could increase the value of the northern peatlands. Keywords: Agriculture, colonization, peatland cultivation

Avainsanat
agriculture; colonization; peatland cultivation

Vastaanotettu 31.10.2017 Julkaistu 1.1.1989

Katselukerrat 1220

Saatavilla http://suo.fi/article/9657 | Lataa PDF

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