17 



their forests, and become the better the closer the river-beds are 

 approached. Most barren are" the lands on the watersheds between 

 the rivers, many of these lands being exceptionally wide, uninhabited 

 selkosmaita lands with meagre spruce forest of the Hylocomium- 

 Myrtillus type. Unbroken stretches of birch, many thousands of hec- 

 tares in extent, are also met wft'h, especially at Kittila and Sodankyla. 

 The pine is, however, the predominating species of the area, forming 

 on the better heath-forest lands forests of comparatively good growth. 

 As channels for floating, the Kemijoki and Torniojoki rivers are suit- 

 able enough and by future regulation the transport of timber along 

 them can doubtless be made appreciably easier. Large sawmills 

 are situated at the mouths of these rivers, including one owned by the 

 State. For the refining of smaller timber there is for the present only 

 one larger industrial institution, but competitors can without doubt 

 soon be awaited, as the stores of raw material in this area are still 

 very great. 



East of the Pera-Pohjola area lies the Kuolajarvi and 

 Kuusamo area (area 3 in Fig 5), which is formed by those 

 parts of the above parishes, whose waters flow into the White Sea. 

 According to the information available, atmospherical conditions in 

 this area are pretty much the same as in the greater part of the fore- 

 going area; thus, the temperature for the summer months does not 

 appreciably differ at Kuusamo from that at Sodankyla. The rain- 

 fall, however, is greater in the former. The landscape varies consider- 

 ably in the area; in the northern part of the Parish of Kuolajarvi 

 and also further south the ground is mountainous, forests being here 

 rare and for the greater part stunted, to be set apart as protective 

 forests. Even in the flatter districts lonely, spruce clad fells often ap- 

 pear. Over wide areas, chiefly of the Hylocomium-Myrtillus type, 

 the spruce prevails unconditionally; pine is sometimes vainly sought 

 after in these districts. In this way the boundary of the forests 

 towards the naked fells is oftenest formed by the spruce. The better 

 forest-types are found in greater numbers in valley lands and in the 

 canyons on the fells, in which, owing to the comparative wealth of 

 lime in the soil of the district, even grove -forests are common. The 

 abundance of forestless /eto>-swamps and the comparatively small 

 danger of frosts make the conditions for agriculture (especially cattle- 

 farming) good, as soon as improved communications render the in- 

 tensive practice of these possible. Until conditions become ordered 

 and settled in Far-Carelia, forest management in this area will con- 

 tinue to be unproductive. 



The Kainuu area (area 4 in Fig. 5) is formed by the ba- 

 sins of the rivers Simojoki, lijoki, Kiiminkijoki and Oulujoki. Here 

 natural conditions are already appreciably better than in the fore- 



1813-22 



