Image: Anna-Liisa Pirhonen / LUT

The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK) says that the protection of flying squirrels has reached unsustainable proportions in Finland. The Forest Owners’ Union, under the MTK, says that sightings of the mammals are more common than ever, and that some make it all the way to the courts.

”The problem is getting worse and worse,” environmental chief Markus Nissinen from the union says. “We get weekly messages from land-owners aghast at the idea of flying squirrels in their woods, where they never used to be.”

Nissinen says that sightings of the animal can slow or stop zoning even in areas that flying squirrels do not favour.

2000+ sightings, wild costs

No comprehensive statistics can be found on flying squirrel populations in Finland because sightings are not only reported to Centres of Economic Development (Ely-centres), but to the forestry centre, environmental agencies, museums and other institutions related to the field. The Ely-centres in Uusimaa and Northern Savo do, however, report an increase in notifications.

According to the Uusimaa centre, within the last two years at least 2000 reports of flying squirrels have come in from Kauniainen and Espoo alone. The explosive growth in reports is due to several environmental probes, conducted in connection with under-construction projects like the Länsimetro, i.e. the western Helsinki metro.

Martti Lätti, planning manager for the city of Kuopio, says that flying squirrels can cost a city or other authority millions of euros.

”Negotiations eat away at our resources, and we have had to make planning decisions that would have been more effective if it weren’t for these creatures,” Lätti says.