On the Emperor’s Tour - Etusivu | julkaisut.metsa.fi

Rokua Nature Trail

On the Emperor’s Tour

Metsähallitus – Rokuan luontorastit

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This material has been produced by Metsähallitus Ostrobothnia Natural Heritage Services

Text: Vesa Krökki, Anu HilliTranslation: Janne-Pekka RissanenLayout: Jaana HietalaIllustrations: Juha Ilkka, Antti Rönkä, Simo Yli-Lonttinen

SisällysMap 3Rokua 4Rokua formation 4Flora and fauna 5

Fore sts 5Marshes and shores 6Fauna 6

Rokua National Park 7Human history 8

History of population settlement 8The Emperor’s Road 8Tar burning 8

Trails 9The Emperor’s Tour 9Ski tracks 9

Tales 9Tar burners 9Get up and climb the tree 9Black-throated diver – a bird in a hurry 10Water gnome 10

Exercises and games 10Sound laboratory 10

Smells 10Shadow pantomime 10Water moves sand 10Finding water with a divining rod 10Cone man or cone woman 11If I were a tree 11Facing a tree 11Finding traces of frost damage 11Burn scars 11Lichen on the trunks 12Measuring tree height 12The age of a tree 12The signifi cance of colours 12Food chain 12Word game 13Identifying the object 13Feeling the object 13Snake run 13”The ship has been loaded” 13Water contest 13

Signposts 14References 17


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Siirasvaarat

Haimakaisenmonttu

Pookivaara

Maitolamminkangas

Koivuvaara

Vauluvaara

Pitkämäki

Rokuanvaara

Hotel Rokuanhovi

Spa and Wellness Hotel

Rokuanjärvi

Salminen

Syväjärvi

LianjärviTulijärvi

Kirvesjärvi

Vaulujärvito U

tajärvi, Oulu

Keisarintie

Saarinen

8794

TRAVEL CENTRE SUPPA

Hätäjärvi

Ahveroinen

to Vaala, Kajaani

Syvyydenkaivo

Rokua YMCA Centre

Pitkäjärvi

© Metsähallitus 2006© Maanmittauslaitos 1/MYY/04

0 500 1000 m

Information

Parking

For the disabled

Shelter cabin

Lappish kota hut

Hiking trail

Campfire site

Tent site

Nature trail signpost

Tar pit

Road

Trail

Border of the national parkBorder of the national park extension

Rokua nature trail

Emperor’s tour

Spirits, sauna and tar

RokuaNational Park

A momentfor silence

Fireman’snightmare

Forestlife

Tracking the black woodpecker

Traces ofthe Ice Age

Underwater world

Forestbirds


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RokuaRokuanvaara is situated in the municipalities of Uta-järvi, Muhos, and Vaala near the provincial border of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu.

Lichen-rich pine forests, clear-water ponds and steep kettle holes are characteristic of Rokua. The beautiful landscape allows you to enjoy the peace and atmosphere of the wilderness, and yet is close to ame-nities.

Rokua formationFinland has been covered with an ice sheet numero-us times. The ice and melting waters have carved up the terrain. The latest ice age which fi nished about 10,000 years ago levelled down and rounded the ter-rain. Till, the most common Finnish soil type emer-ged from rock material which was loosened, crushed and ground by the ice.

Of the rock foundation, as much as 97 % is cove-red with till. The glacial melting waters wore out the terrain by leaving behind glaciated rocks, and groo-ves and furrows on its surface, and small canyons and stream beds on Lappish mountains. Ground layers originating from melting waters are, for example, es-kers, deltas, sandurs, and edge formations. The uni-que landscape in Rokua reached its current shape at the stage when the ice sheet was melting transporting, sorting and piling up ground material.

Rokuanvaara is a 20 km (12 miles) long and 5 km (3 miles) wide formation made up of eskers and du-nes. The eskers emerged from soil material left in the tunnels inside the ice sheet or from the material piled up at the edges of glacial rivers. The direction of eskers thus depicts the direction of the ice sheet’s withdra-wal.

Rokuanvaara is clearly distinct from the surroun-ding areas, most of which is fl at, marshy land. With 194 metres (636 ft) Pookivaara, the highest esker in the area, has its summit at about 70 metres (230 ft) higher up than the surrounding areas. Kettle holes, steep hollows in eskers are characteristic of the Ro-kua landscape. They emerged when large lumps of ice buried in the sand, melted down. Typically, the kettle holes are long and narrow, and their depth may vary from just a couple of metres to as much as 50 m (about 150 ft). The deepest kettle holes can be found at the Pookivaara area, and often there is a pond or a lake at the bottom, examples of which are Pitkäjärvi, Hätä-järvi, Saarinen and Kiviahveroinen to name a few.

The Finnish drift sand formations emerged soon after the withdrawal of the ice sheet approximately 10,000 to 9,000 years ago. The dunes ceased to move when covered with vegetation. Also known as fossi-lised dunes, they occur in connection with glacifl uvial formations. Being about 18 km (11 miles) long and 1.5 to 5 km (1 to 3 miles) wide the Rokua dune fi eld is one of the best-known inland dune formations in Finland. The dunes have been shaped by westerly and north-westerly winds and they are, although forested over the years, still quite clearly visible.

During the last Ice Age the land was compressed by a 1.5 km (4,300 ft) ice sheet. After the Ice Age was over, most of the area was still under water, either as part of the various phases of the Baltic Sea basin or un-der glacial lakes. Dry land was found only in highest elevations. In Finland, the land is still rising, which means that it is trying to return to the elevation where it was before the Ice Age. The land rise is still clearly distinct along the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia.

The Rokua area was freed from ice about 9,000 yea-rs ago. At that time the summit of Rokuanvaara rose from the sea as an island. Rokua became part of the mainland about 7,000 years ago when the waterline withdrew as a result of land rise. There are still some remains of sea, ancient shores and banks. Similar for-mations can be found all over Finland. The banks at different heights of the slopes of Rokuanvaara tell us the history of the Baltic Sea shores phase by phase.


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Flora and faunaThe nature is characteristically barren. As most of the soil is nothing but sand, water quickly penetrates deep to the ground out of the reach of vegetation, and in terms of growth its nutrient level is low.

The fl ora consists of species that have adjusted to endure draught and low nutrition. The fl ora consists largely of forest vegetation, and to some extent of marsh and shoreline vegetation. There are also small pockets of treeless moors.

Fore sts

The Rokua area is part of the mid-boreal Ostroboth-nia-Kainuu forest zone. Almost the entire area of the Rokua National Park is covered with dry lichen-rich forests on a sand bed. Dry forests with black crowber-ry and heather type of vegetation are also common. Some patches of damper forest types occur only at ponds.

The dominant tree is (Scotch) pine (Pinus sylvest-ris), but white and silver birches (Betula pubescens and pendula), aspen (Populus tremula), grey and black alder (Alnus incana and glutinosa), as well as rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) are also found in the approximity of lakes and ponds.

The shrub layer is almost entirely missing. The fi eld layer typically grows dwarf shrubs, such as heat-her (Calluna vulgaris), black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea). Whortleberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), common bear-berry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), and bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) are found in damper areas.

On the dry slopes you may be able to spot a rare combination of lichen growing with lilies-of-the-val-ley (Convallaria majalis). Of the latter, solomon’s-seal (Polygonatum odoratum) is preserved and endange-red. Plants of the clubmoss family, such as ground pine (Diphasiastrum complanatum) and stiff club-moss (Lycopodium annotinum), and various grasses are typical plants on the ground layer in barren and dry areas.

The ground layer consists of lichens and mosses. Together with cetraria lichen and island cetraria lichen

(Cetraria ericetorum and islandica) reindeer lichen and greygreen reindeer lichen (Cladina arbuscula and rangiferina) are quite common. Populations of star reindeer lichen (Cladina stellaris) are best preserved in the National Park area. ”Snow lichen” (Cetraria niva-lis) and cup lichen (Cladonia sp.) are also common.

Of the mosses, the most common species are Schreber’s big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi) splendid feather moss (Hylocomium splendens), and various types of polytrichum moss (Polytrichum sp.) and dicranum moss (Dicranum sp.). Rokua serves as a good example of a lichen-covered dry soil that grows intact outside the reindeer management area that is situated further north.

Forest fi res have played a signifi cant role in forest formation, since dry forests catch fi re very easily. On average the trees are 100 to 150 years old. Approxi-mately 120 years ago one fi re destroyed almost all forests in the Rokuanvaara area. Since then the trees have been growing undisturbed, so the oldest forest in Rokua is found in this area. Outside the National Park on the western slopes of Rokuanvaara there are still traces of a forest fi re that took place in 1948.

Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum)

Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis)


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Marshes and shores

The Finnish soil turns into a marsh in the following situations: when land rises from the sea, when mineral soil, that is forests dampen, and when water systems become closed through increased vegetation. There are three main types of marsh: damp woodland, forested and open swamps. Open swamps are, again, divided into subtypes on the basis of their nutrient level. In Rokua the marshes are similar to those open swamps typically found in Ostrobothnia and Kainuu.

Marsh vegetation in Rokua consists of the types of species that thrive in barren conditions in forested and open swamps. Swamps are found as small patches in kettle holes and along the shores of ponds. Forested swamps grow pine and birch, and the fi eld layer is abundant with sedge (Carex sp.), bog blueberry (Vac-cinium uliginosum), leather leaf (Chamaedaphne ca-lyculata), and dwarf birch (Betula nana).

The ground layer is composed of various types of moss (Sphagnum sp). The low-nutrient type of open swamps are mostly treeless, but dwarf pines and (Nor-way) spruces (Picea abies) occur occasionally. This type of swamp is often very wet. The common spe-cies of grasses are bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre), and marsh cinquefoil (Potentil-la palustris).

Waterside vegetation is composed of bands of sedge surrounding lakesides and ponds. Some ponds have a tree stand that is richer in variety. On the shores of Kirvesjärvi lake, for example, both speckled and black alder are found. Saarinen lake has silver birches, wil-lows (Salix sp.), and aspen on its shores. The vegetati-on on treeless moors consists mainly of moss, lichen, dwarf shrubs, and grasses. Moors are mostly natural formations. On the dunes they are typically rich in lichen. Populations of lilies of the valley are also found on moors with a mixture of grasses and lichen.

Fauna

Due to the barren vegetation in Rokua, not many ty-pes of fauna are found in the area. The most common mammals to be found are a brown squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) or a hare (Lepus timidus). Typical but rarely seen small mammals in the area are stoat (Mustela er-minea) and pine marten (Martes martes). Elk (Alces alces) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) may move into the area, but you are not very likely to come across one.

The birdlife is more versatile than the mammals found in the area. Birds typically found in barren fo-rests, such as redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), tree pipit (Anthus trivialis), spotted fl ycatcher (Muscicapa striata) and crossbills (Loxia curvirosta and pytyopsit-tacus), are found here, too. The redstart is especially abundant, as it thrives in sunny pine forests. The wil-low warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), common all over the country, is another species found in Rokua in gre-at number. Capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus) here may easily fi nd their feeding pines, or ravens the peaceful habitat they desire. In the winter fewer birds remain in the area. Such species as tits (Paridae), woodpecker

(Dendrocopus major), and black woodpecker (Dryo-copus martius) and fowl (Galliformes) thrive here in the winter, too.

The habitat around lakes and ponds in Rokua is bar-ren by nature. The black-throated diver (Gavia artica) can be spotted, for example, at Rokuanjärvi or Saari-nen lakes. Being an endangered species it is currently under protection. Other divers and grebes found in the area, yet few in number, are red-necked grebe (Po-diceps grisegena), crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus). Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) and common sandpi-per (Actitis hypoleuca) are the plovers found in the area. At the largest lakes in the area gulls outnumber other species both in variety and in number. Various ducks are found in several lakes and ponds. Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), goosander (Mergus merganser), and teal (Anas crecca) are the ducks most common in number in the area.

Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum sp.)

Capercaillie male and female (Tetrao urogallus)


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Rokua National ParkNational parks are nature preserves that are designed to function as public attractions, serving as samples of the most valuable and most characteristic features of Finnish nature. National parks display unique natural phenomena, such as rapids, canyons, and esker for-mations. Such beautiful sceneries and vantage points have also been preserved.

In Finland there are 35 national parks and on top of that there are other nature preserves, such as wil-derness areas, and nature preserves for marshes or gro-ves.

Rokua National Park was founded in 1956 and de-signed to preserve the natural lichen-rich pine forests and the unique geological features of the Rokua for-mation. Preservation also aims at ensuring the prere-quisites for climax stage (old forest) research.

The national park is situated at the southern edge of the esker formation where there are a great number of marshes, dunes, and banks as well as kettle holes with clear-water ponds at the bottom.

From the accommodation provided in the area it is easy to enter the national park, only a 3 to 5 kilometre walk (2 to 3 miles) away. Cars can be driven to the border of the park via the Keisarintie Road.

The national park has a number of signposted trails and two places for setting a camp-fi re. At the Pitkä-järvi lake camp-fi replace, there is also a possibility for camping in tents.

Setting a fi re is allowed, however, only when a pub-lic warning on forest fi res is not shown. Fire warnings are announced daily in newspapers, on television and through the radio in connection with weather fore-casts.

You can move anywhere in the national park, either on foot or with skis. As the soil in the area wears out very easily, the use of trails is recommended. For the same reason ski sticks should not be used when wal-king. Riding a bicycle, sports fi shing and hunting are forbidden. You are, however, allowed to pick berries and mushrooms, but must leave any other types of vegetation in peace.

National parks in Finland (2006)

Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)


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Human history

History of population settlement

Finland became populated after the Ice Age. Utility articles dating back to 7,000 BC have been discove-red. Today’s research indicates that most of the popu-lation settlement took place between 6,000 and 3,000 BC. Proof of signifi cant prehistorical population has been found through the utility articles excavated at Nimisjärvi lake situated between Oulujärvi lake and Rokuanvaara.

Until the 17th century Lapps used Rokuanvaara for herding their reindeer. Being hunter-gatherers their li-festyle was semi-nomadic. The prey consisted mainly of deer, elks, and fi sh. In the winter they often stayed in the same location in their winter villages. Most Lapps withdrew further north giving way to peasants coming from the south. Due to its barren nature Ro-kuanvaara proper has probably never been inhabited. Remains of the oldest settlement still existing today are the houses at the southern lakeside of Rokuanjärvi and those near Ahmasjärvi lake.

The Emperor’s Road

The Emperor’s Road is a 46 km (29 miles) long por-tion of the ancient road between Oulu and Kajaani from Vaala to Utajärvi passing north-west through Rokua and Ahmasjärvi lake. Originally it was only a walking and riding trail, until in the 17th century it was enlarged to fi t carriages. The Emperor’s Road was part of the mail route between Oulu and Iisalmi. This road was used also for carrying mail all the way to Stockholm, in circumstances when the Baltic sea via Åland Islands was impossible to cross.

Earlier, The Emperor’s Road was known as Säräisniemi’s old road or Oulu road. The name Emperor’s Road comes from a story according to which the Russian Emperor Alexander I had used this road on his visit to Finland in 1819, whereas in reality, he used another. Gustavus Adolphus II, the King of Sweden, however, did use this route in the winter of 1622 when returning home from the military expedi-tion to Livonia via Vyborg to Stockholm to lead the new Parliament convenes.

The Emperor’s Road was an important route from the 17th to the end of the 19th century. Inns along the route provided travellers with overnight shelter and a place in the stable for their horses. Rokua house near Rokuanjärvi lake served as an inn from the 1680s to 1860s. In the 19th century, the network of roads in the Oulujoki river valley expanded a lot, displacing the Emperor’s Road from the position it had had until then. For example in the 1840s a new road was made

between Utajärvi and Vaala. Some portions of the Emperor’s Road are still visible today, and at the bor-der of the Rokua National Park there are even some drivable passages left.

Tar burning

The eastern part of central Finland (Kainuu) has a long history in tar burning, the records date back to the 17th century. Tar was then burned at least in Paltamo and Manamansalo. Tar burning thrived in Kainuu in the 19th century. Numerous tar-burning pits still remain as a proof that tar was burned also at Rokuanvaara.

As raw material for tar burning amber-rich and long pieces of wood were used. The bark was removed and the wood was stored in a vertical position to dry and to enable amber formation. The construction of the burning pit was started in May. This was always done on the slope of a hill. The pieces of wood were piled up on the bottom of the burning pit as a radial stack, the ends facing the center, and then covered with a layer of turf and mould. Birch bark was used to set the pit into fi re.

In order to allow tar formation it was necessary to burn the pit slowly, in about one week’s time. A gutter was used to let the tar drop down to barrels. Typically one pit produced about 40-50 barrels of tar. Tar was then transported to Oulu to be sold. Especially during the era of sailing ships, tar was shipped to Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia. By the beginning of the fi rst world war, the tar business had died down.

In the old days tar was used for many purposes, but mainly as a protection for the wooden parts in tools, machines and horse sleighs. It is said that old shingle roofs could last as long as 500 years when tarred. The protective effect of tar is based on a membrane that does not let any water or sunlight through. Tar was also used as an oiling or protective substance and as a medicine for burns and insect bites.

Cross-section of tar burning pit


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Trails

The Emperor’s Tour

The Emperor’s Tour is a 22 km (14 miles) long hiking trail which serves as a connection between Rokua’s na-tural attractions and services. Along the trail there are four locations for setting a camp-fi re and one cabin for overnight visits.

The trail is marked with white paint on trees. An easy-to-read map on the Emperor’s Tour is available from all accommodation providers in the area. Shorter options for hiking are the trails that remain inside the circular Emperor’s Tour.

Ski tracks

In Rokua, the terrain provides excellent facilities for cross-country skiing. Rokuanhovi hotel and Rokua Fitness Centre have their own ski tracks with lighting, and there is even a similar 3 km (2 miles) track bet-ween them. Racing ski tracks provide a 50-metre (160 ft) difference in elevation. Hiking tracks have lean-to shelters where one can rest and enjoy a cup of coffee or eat lunch.

Tales and stories

Tar burners

On a darkening autumn evening two tar burners were sitting by a tar-burning pit at Kirvesjärvi lake, watching the fi re and waiting for the tar to be ready. One of the men noticed some creature dancing in the distance, moving from one tree top to another. They both followed this beautiful vision whose dress was rippling in the wind. The younger man expressed his admiration in words, and the older one said that it cannot be anything but a wood nymph.

The younger man asked the wood nymph to come closer so that they could admire her beauty. So she came down the trees until she was right there next to the camp-fi re. The older man stood there adoring her beauty and the magnifi cent dress she was wearing.

The wood nymph stayed by the camp-fi re for a while, dancing to the joy of these two men.

Then the younger man said to her ”You are very beautiful from the front, but I wonder what you might look like from the back”.

He kept asking her to show her back, and fi nal-ly she gently turned around. To their amazement the men noticed that her back was hollow and composed of bark. In the very same instant she vanished into the woods. Terribly upset, the older man scolded the younger one for failing to admire the beauty and for driving her away by using his bold talk.

Get up and climb the tree

One man had gone bird hunting and had got lost in the forest. In the darkening night he couldn’t fi nd his way back home from Rokuanvaara. So, deciding to stay there overnight he set a big camp-fi re and lay himself down next to it. Suddenly at night the man woke up feeling as if someone had grabbed him and said: ”Get up and climb the tree, for soon danger is going to pass by.

The man stood there for a moment wondering what happened, but believed what he was told. No sooner nine bears appeared from the forest, sniffi ng around the camp-fi re. They stayed there for a while and then returned back to the forest. The man stood there pondering over who it was that warned him, a gnome, wood nymph, or some other kind of fairy? From then on he believed that there are fairies or simi-lar creatures in the forest.


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Black-throated diver – a bird in a hurry

When the black-throated diver was being created, she had no patience to wait for her legs to be fi nished. She thought that it did not matter if the legs follow, just hanging behind, meanwhile her wings had to be superb.

As soon as the wings were fi nished she took off in the air, even though she hald no legs yet. God ponde-red for a moment what to do about it, and then deci-ded to cast the legs after the bird. This is how the legs became attached to the back. From this moment on, the black-throated diver has had legs pointing back-wards, and thus cannot move on the ground, being so compelled to live in water.

Water gnome

One man was picking berries at Pitkäjärvi lakeside when he heard a voice saying: ”Oh, oh, passes the time, but does not pass the man.”

The man understood that something strange was going on. He heard the voice groaning again: ”Oh, oh, passes the time, but does not pass the man.”

And, no sooner the man noticed a hiker coming from the hills. The hiker stopped by the shore with the intention of having a swim. The man warned him that it was dangerous, since the water gnome had told: Oh, oh, passes the time, but does not pass the man! The hiker decided, however, to at least wash his face in the lake. No sooner the hiker fell to his death, and the gnome who was determined to get a victim in one way or another, got what he wanted.

Exercises and activities

Sound laboratory

In our everyday environment we get used to hearing many kinds of sounds. Even in the silence of the woods there are different sounds. Listen to them, and make a list of them.

Start with sounds coming from near, from your own body, and then from the roundabout: the breat-hing of others, the rustling of dwarf shrubs, the mur-muring of the wind, the singing of birds. Finish the exercise by listening to distant sounds, such as passing cars, barking dogs, etc. Then, compare your notes and see if you missed something.

Smells

In this exercise the participants may freely wander in the area (only on the trails) and seek for interesting smells. Does the lakeside smell any different from the dry pine forest or marsh? Tell one another what sort of smells you sensed and what things they brought into mind.

Shadow pantomime

Shadows are ideal to use as pantomime characters, as they are silent and easy to animate. Work in small groups or pairs and perform an animal or a plant using a shadow. Natural phenomena, such as wind, can also be performed using group pantomime. The task of the others is to try and guess what you are performing.

Water moves sand

Take off your shoes and feel how the water moves the sand. Position yourself on the water’s edge so that you can feel how your bare feet eventually sink in the sand, as if sand were running away from your feet.

Finding water with a divining rod

Probably, the oldest way of fi nding water is using a divining rod to do the job. A shrub with two branches is needed. This divining rod has been used to show the position for a new well. Some people swear it is true, others just laugh about it, so why don’t you just try it yourself!

Tree pipit (Anthus trivialis) sings also when fl ying


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Find a loose, small shrub or a branch that splits into two directions. Hold the rod from the two ends, and move forward slowly. If the stalk begins to move up and down, water is near. At Pookivaara there is a well behind the old skiing lodge. Just walk until you come close to the well and see if the divining rod begins to behave in a strange manner. In this way you may see with your own eyes whether this old trick works or not.

Cone man or cone woman

Use cones or other loose material to construct a cone man and take it with you as a reminder of a day spent in nature. You may also leave it there in the forest with the spirits to show them your gratitude about all the things you have experienced during the day.

If I were a tree

Choose for yourselves some kind of a tree, old or young, growing, dead or fallen. Try to imagine what its life is like, what it sees, hears, feels, smells, or thinks, and what has it already gone through during its life. How does it feel when one climbs on it, twists branches, or carves his initials on the trunk. Then tell each other the story of the tree.

Facing a tree

Everyone is taken on their turn blindfolded to a tree that grows in the neighbourhood. Then you may take all the time to get acquainted with the tree, feeling its surface and shape. After this you are taken away from the tree making twists to hide where you came from.

After you have been granted the permission you may start to seek for your tree. When all trees have

been found, discuss how each of you recognized their trees and what sort of feelings the exercise awakened in your mind.

Finding traces of frost damage

In freezing temperatures a tree shrinks a little bit. In case there is a sudden drop in temperature, the surface shrinks faster than the inside. When the ”coat” be-comes too small, scars may appear, releasing a rustling or banging sound.

Most of these scars are so small that they are not vi-sible on the surface. Occasionally, however, large scars that do not have enough time to even get closed in the following summer may appear. When walking in the forest, see if you can spot any such scars on the trees.

Burn scars

Charred spots on the sides of stumps and live trees are traces of forest fi res. Large pines usually survive them, since the thick bark at the base prevents scorching heat from penetrating to the trunk.

On the side where wind is blowing, the heat may kill the cell layer under the bark, even if the bark doesn’t burn. The burn scar thus is not always charred. During the next few years, the tree begins to fi ll up the scar with new growth from both sides. Large scars take many years to recover. Take a closer look at the trunks to see if you can spot any burn scars on them.

Old burn scar in a pine tree.


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Lichen on the trunks

The cleaner the air, the better the conditions are for lichens growing on trees. Despite its distracting name, beard moss is a lichen that thrives on the trunks. It is very sensitive to air pollution, and so has become signifi cantly less common, particularly in southern Finland. Lichen growth gets disturbed by sulphur dio-xide, for example.

Have a look at the old pine trunks at Pookivaara to see how many different types of lichen grow on them.

Measuring tree height

The height of a tree can be measured quite accurately using a stick or branch. Hold your arm straight out in front of you, and the length of the stick must be equal to the distance from your eye to the tip of your thumb.

Hold the stick in your arm and walk backwards away from the tree until it appears to be equally tall with the stick. The distance to the tree from that posi-tion is the same as the height of the tree. Then walk to the tree counting your steps to make an estimation.

The age of a tree

Search for a small tree the top of which you can reach. Count the number of spirally oriented groups of bran-ches on it, so you know how old the tree is.

Measure the distance between the spirals. Has the tree grown the same amount every year? What might be the factors that have an impact on the varying shoot? Remember that the distance between subse-quent branch spirals represents the yearly growth.

The signifi cance of colours

Think about the signifi cance of colours to any life form. What tasks do colours have in each case?

Animals use colours for protection and for catching attention. The eye-shaped fi gures on butterfl y wings, for example, act as a deterrent against enemies. With their protective colouring hares and willow grouses are well-adjusted to both winter and summer conditions, making it harder for predators to notice them.

Birds express the boundaries of their territories by singing and by colour patterns. Coots, for example, expose a white patch on their foreheads when fi ghting over the possession of a territory and threatening one another. Colours are often of importance when ma-les are making attempts to lure females into entering their territory.

Plants make use of a variety of pigments, such as chlorophyll. In the autumn they store chlorophyll into the tissue, and other pigments become visible.

Insects have an excellent ability to distinguish bet-ween colours. For example, they learn the colours of the fl owers they regularly visit, and different individu-als often specialise in visiting fl owers with a particular colour.

Food chain

Spend a moment pondering over what kind of food chains there are in this location. You can get started, for example, with lingonberry and think of the ani-mals that use it as nourishment. And, who eats the animal that has eaten the lingonberries? Are you your-self at any time part of this food chain?

Measuring a tree with a stick

Who eats a branch of a birch?


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Word game

You can work in groups of pairs or up to 3-6 mem-bers. One of you acts as the leader. The idea is to fi nd names of wildings, animals or geological formations that begin with the letters there are in the town’s name or location’s name.

The fi rst group to fi nd the answers is the winner. With children, it is a good idea to simplify the task by allowing them to use names of pets or garden plants.

Identifying the object

Sit down in a circle keeping your eyes shut. Everyone is given some natural object to touch and feel, such as a berry, piece of bark, cone, needle, piece of branch, or leaf. Use only loose objects. The idea is to learn the object by feeling it.

Once the objects have been felt, they are put away and sent forward around the circle. When one of your objects returns to your hands, you should be able to recognise it. When everyone thinks they have found the objects that they originally had, you can open your eyes to see what they actually looked like.

Feeling the object

The participants work in pairs where one leads the other who keeps the eyes shut. The blind one is gi-ven various objects to touch, and you must not say anything about them yet at this stage, but just try to imagine what they might be. Having touched 5 to 10 objects the blind one tells what he or she thinks the objects were. After this, change the role with your partner.

When you walk, use only signposted trails, and do not loosen any natural objects. Instead, kneel down to feel the moss or dwarf shrubs, reach your arms to-wards branches, etc.

Snake run

The players stand in queues of several groups, making up a snake by placing their knees on the ground and by placing their arms on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Having given the starting command, the last one in the queue will crawl on all fours bet-ween the group mates, alternately from left and right, until he arrives in front of the queue. Then he places himself in the original position and lifts his arms to tell the last one in the queue to crawl in turn. Everyo-ne crawls in their turn, and the winner is the team that fi rst returns to the original position.

”The ship has been loaded”

The players sit down in a circle and each one says in their own turn that the ship is loaded with certain things they have agreed on. As you are in a national park, it is a good idea to use names of plants, animals or birds, or just names that begin with a certain let-ter.

The loading is done by throwing some soft object to another person in the circle. When doing this, you say ”the ship has been loaded with squirrels”, and quickly throw the object to someone else. The one who catches the object has to fi nd the name of a new object belonging to the same category. In case you fail to think of any name, you are out of the game, or al-ternatively the others must think of something funny for you to do.

Water contest

This task requires that you have a couple of bowls or basins that are equal in size. One dish is enough provi-ded that you have a watch to measure the time. Make small groups and see which of you fi lls up the dish fastest by carrying water from the nearby lake without any external aid. Only your arms and and your imagi-nation can be used.


14

Forest birds – at the lakeside of Lianjärvi

The three most common birds in Finland are willow warbler, chaffi nch, and tree pipit.

In Rokua, the most abundant birds are redstart, willow warbler, spotted fl ycatcher (pictured), and chaffi nch.

The birds are often easiest to identify on the basis of their voice.

The mistle thrush has a fl ute-like voice which may be heard miles away.

The most common fowls found in the area are grouse, capercaillie, and partridge.

Traces of woodpeckers’ work are easy to spot everyw-here in Rokua.

Underwater world – at the lakeside of Kirvesjärvi

There are over 190,000 lakes in Finland.

A lake is any water system larger than one acre.

Finland is home to about 60 different species of fi sh.

The Finnish national fi sh is perch.

Your catch from Kirvesjärvi or Tulijärvi lakes may contain perch, pike (pictured), ruff, whitefi sh, and roach.

In the summer, the most frequently seen fi shing bird at Kirvesjärvi lake is the black-throated diver.

SignpostsThis section contains the texts used in the signposts used along the Emperor’s Tour. The location of each signpost is given in header. A map of the Emperor’s Route with signposts is in the beginning of this booklet.

Tracking the black woodpecker – at the lakeside of Ahveroinen

The unique landscape in Rokua was formed after the Ice Age when an esker formation that rose from the sea was shaped by water and winds.

Vegetation and soil in the area are sensitive to erosion.

Star reindeer lichen, which is dominant in the area, requires decades to renew.

Forest fi res have burned parts of the pine forests in the area once every 50 years.

Some kettle holes have low-nutrient clear-water ponds or lakes at the bottom.

Black-throated divers and mergansers are the most frequently seen fi shing birds in the lakes and ponds in Rokua.

Dominant bird species are redstart, willow warbler, spotted fl ycatcher, and chaffi nch. Also the black wood-pecker (pictured) can be heard.

The mammals found in the area are elk, red fox, pine marten, weasel, squirrel, and roe deer.


15

Fireman´s nightmare – at Pookivaara

In the old days fi res were a frequent visitor in the boreal forests.

In Rokua the dry and fl ammable lichen-rich pine forests fi res have occurred every 50 years on average.

From nature’s point of view, today forest fi res are extin-guished in a much too effi cient way.

Of insects 14 species have become endangered after the fi res have become more rare.

Burn scars (pictured) may be visible on the trunks of large pines with thick bark for a very long time.

Traces of a forest fi re in 1948 are still visible in the wes-tern parts of Rokuanvaara.

A moment for silence – at the lakeside of Pitkäjärvi

Watch the stars in the sky the rising of the sun traces in the snow clouds in the blue sky sparkling water

Listen to the murmuring wind to the lapping of waves to the birds sing to the hollowing owls

Feel the smell of a marsh tea the taste of a whortleberry the drops of rain on your face the moment of the setting sun

Forest life – at the lakeside of Saarinen

Finland is home to over 20,000 insect species, the amount of mammal species is 64.

The Finnish national animal is bear.

Most mammal species move mainly at night.

The mammals in Rokua that you may spot are elk (pic-tured), red fox, pine marten, weasel, squirrel, and roe deer.

Brown squirrel is the mammal species that is easiest to come across.

Leave the forest and its animals in peace.

Traces of the Ice Age – at Syvyydenkaivo

The unique landscape in Rokua was formed after the Ice Age when an esker formation that rose from the sea was shaped by water and winds.

Wind piled up dunes (pictured) in the esker sand.

The dunes were eventually covered with vegetation, lessening the wind effect.

Kettle holes are a chacteristic part of Rokua landscape, and they emerged when large lumps of ice buried in the sand melted down.

The withdrawing Baltic Sea left behind numerous banks surrounding the hill.


16

Rokua National Park – at the Pitkäjärvi camp-fi replace

Vegetation and soil in the national park are sensitive to erosion.

Star reindeer lichen (pictured), which is dominant in the area, requires decades to renew.

Use only signposted trails to move in the national park.

Pine is the only type of tree that thrives on the barren but lichen-rich forestsheather and lingonberry give some colour to the lichen bed.

Spirits, sauna and tar – at Rokuanjärvi cabin

Tar has been used as a medicineto cure almost anyt-hing.

During the era of wooden ships, tar was used as a protection.

In northern Finland tar burning was a thriving business in the 19th century.

Tar was burned in a pit, using dried amber-rich logs of pine.

One pit produced about 50 barrels of tar.

Tar was transported to Oulu with row boats (pictured) to be sold to the world market.

The locations of several tar-burning pits are still recogni-sable in Rokua.


17

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Tikkanen ym. Askel elämyksiin, Leivonmäen luonnonsuojelualu-een opas. Metsähallitus 1997.

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