In honour of Kirsi Kunnas, an author, the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation and the publishing house WSOY have founded a conservation area called Tiitiäisen metsä in Ylöjärvi, and we raise funds for the area through donations and a poem collection also called Tiitiäisen metsä. The book contains some of the most beloved poems by Kunnas, serving as the author’s declaration of love for the Finnish forest.

The forest contains a number of spruces, pines, and aspens that go up to the heights. The twenty-seven hectare forest is located in the vicinity of the Ylöjärvi town centre, right next to the Pikku-Ahvenisto area, which means that you can easily get to the area to cheer up. There are enormous anthills in the forest along with moss-covered rocks, decayed wood in great amounts and winding paths that are easy to follow. We know that the flying squirrel also lives in this forest.

“The area is well-suited for the very purpose of the Tiitiäisen metsä forest. The old trees create a mysterious atmosphere, which is like from a fairy tale. The forest is easily accessible, which also makes it easy for children to come there to learn about nature and enjoy their life,” says Anneli Jussila, the executive director of the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation.

The classical poems of Kirsi Kunnas take the reader to the world of forest nature and fantasy in this excellent collection of poems, the illustrations of which are created by Silja-Maria Wihersaari. Tiitiäisen metsä pays tribute to the Finnish forest with its poems where the seasons and spacetime come in contact with both the human senses and the dimension of fairy tales.

“A forest is a world of its own with its liveliness and events that include us humans as well. We are forest people. It goes without saying that the forest has shaped our way of thinking and our senses during the long history that we share,” Kirsi Kunnas reminds.

WSOY contributes to the campaign with 20,000 euros, and for every sold copy of Tiitiäisen metsä, one euro is donated to the Tiitiäisen metsä conservation area. Anneli Kari, a lady from Hollola, has also made a significant donation to the forest. The Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation makes it easy for anyone to participate in the fund-raising campaign through its website. Gift cards with Silja-Maria Wihersaari’s illustrations will also come onto the market under the theme of Tiitiäisen metsä.

Tiitiäisen metsä on a map

Photo: Ari-Pekka Auvinen