100 stories from the hiking route

1975 – beginning of extensive forest drainage in Karjasoo Village

Information

Topic

The story of forestry

Coordinates

Long-Lat WGS 84

Latitude: 58.551933

Longitude: 25.3367167

L-EST 97

x: 6490983.5
y: 577813.7

Location

Ikla-Aegviidu Hiking route

There is a memorial stone by the hiking route with an image of a bear holding a shovel alongside with the writing “Vändra metsakuivendajatelt 1025 ha 1975-77 a” which translates into “From the Vändra forest drainers, 1025 ha, 1975–77”. Such memorial stones can be found by large land improvement objects all over Estonia. On one hand, it is a memorial for a specific drainage object but, on the other hand, it is also the symbol of an era.
Draining excess water and minimising bog formation improves timber production for the forest owner. Forest drainage works began in the manor forests in the first decades of the 19th century.
The first excavators were taken into use for forest drainage in 1938 but the extensive use of machines in forest drainage only began in the 1950s. The majority of Estonian drainage systems were created in the years 1950–1980.
Intensive forest drainage lasted until the end of the 1980s, after which it stopped nearly completely. Over half of the state forest lands in Estonia have been drained.
Today, there are both those who are for and those who oppose forest drainage. Drainage, just like every other method of redesigning nature, does not only affect the drained area but its surroundings as well. In addition to the water regime, drainage also affects the properties, flora and fauna of the habitats.
The main goal of modern forest improvement is maintaining the existing roads and drainage systems in order to avoid the perishing of the forest stands and to ensure the possibility of moving in the forests.

Sources:  
Arukask, A. 2005. 55 aastat mehhaniseeritud metsakuivendust Eestis.
Arukask, A. 2010. 60 aastat mehhaniseeritud metsakuivendust Eestis.