The Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation bought in April 2013 an old forest of over five hectares in Tyysteri, Porvoo. It was a precious deal because forest conservation is not as common in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region as it is in the rest of the country. The forest will be called Tomteskog. 

The forest is mainly about an old spruce forest, over a hundred years old in some places, with a few pine trees and birches adding variety to the tree stand. On the western side, we see a flat wetland with old European white birches and a rocky hill dominated by shield bark pine trees.

This thick forest has a diverse structure. We see decayed trees both standing and lying on the ground. We have also detected Leptoporus mollis, a fungus that lives in old forests, which tells something about the conservation value of the area. During the spring of 2013, we have also managed to witness many times a rare visitor from the north: the great grey owl.

Tomteskog is the 36th conservation area of the foundation and the second one in the Uusimaa region.

Photo: Ilpo Piiroinen 2013.