Söderlångvik is located in the archipelago municipality of Kimitoön. When you arrive at the manor, the apple orchards, the garden and the sea open before your eyes. Söderlångvik Manor includes 7,000 hectares of forest, which is cared for according to the criteria for sustainable forestry. On Söderlångvik’s grounds, there are several excellent hiking trails for those who want to explore nature more closely.

Forestry

Our forestry strategy defines a customised model for the manor’s forestry, which aims to work for increased sustainability. Special consideration is given to the nature’s diversity as well as carbon sequestration.

Among the methods and measures planned are continuous cover forestry, an increase in the area of fully protected forest areas, the reconfiguration of the size and shape of felling areas, the restoration of ditched peatlands, an increase in the proportion of deciduous trees and mixed forests, as well as the creation of new wetlands in the manor’s forest areas.

The strategy primarily aims at the period up to the year 2030.

Söderlångvik’s buildings are mostly heated with wood chips from its own forest. Söderlångvik uses solar panels with an output of 93 kWp.

Our apple farming follows the principles of IP cultivation (IPM) and our orchards are quality-certified according to Finland’s Quality Farm guidelines. The Quality Farm guidelines are general guidelines for produce farming in Finland. They ensure that the products are safe, that the production burdens the environment as little as possible and that the workers have good working conditions. 

Pruning is done with electric shears, and electric golf carts are used in the park and the apple orchards.

Twigs, branches and leaves in the park are collected and taken to the outermost areas, where they act as insect hotels until they rot. To promote biodiversity, the grass in the park is cut so that different plants and herbs have room to grow.

Forestry and the nature reserve

Söderlångvik Manor’s forests are varied and versatile. Like the rest of the grounds, the forests are owned by the arts association Amos Andersons Fund. The grounds cover about 7,000 hectares. The forests are located mainly in Tolfsnäs, Hertsböle and around Söderlångvik Manor.

In 2022, the board of Amos Anderson’s Fund decided on a forest strategy that will serve as a guiding document for the organisation’s forestry in the coming decades.

The association’s forestry strategy is based on the mission to manage the manor’s forestry as sustainably as possible, taking into account the diversity of the nature, carbon sequestration, tourism and community relations.

Approximately 400 hectares of forest owned by Amos Anderson’s Fund are strictly protected. The nature reserve area includes Purunpää and Bergö, as well as Purunpää Norra since the beginning of 2023. In addition to the strictly protected forests, the grounds include approx. 330 hectares of coastal forest that are protected from construction. According to the strategic plan, over the next 10 years approx. 100 hectares will be added to the protected areas. The protection plans build on conclusions from a recent nature survey, which showed that these areas have the potential to develop over time into valuable ecosystems and habitats.

In addition to preservation, a wide range of other measures are also mentioned in the forest strategy of the Amos Anderson’s Fund: continuous cover forestry, FSC forest certification, the size and shape of final felling areas, the restoration of ditched peatlands, increasing the proportion of mixed forests, the planting of deciduous trees and flowering trees, the preservation of retention trees and solitary trees and the creation of new wetlands. Forestry must also be adapted to wildlife.
These measures are not all put into use at the same time, but together they form the toolkit that the manor will use in its forestry.

As part of the strategy, we maintain a dialogue with the local population. Continuity farming is the measure that affects the surrounding local community the most. The method is based on a natural rejuvenation of the forest. In practice, this means that clear cutting is not done; rather, the forest is always covered with trees. This benefits the landscape as well as the biodiversity and wildlife that live in the forest.

Söderlångvik is transitioning to continuity forestry in the areas that the local community and the manor’s tourism function actively use, that is, where the hiking trails go. In addition, continuity forestry will be used in the manor’s forests in places where the natural conditions and starting points are suitable for it. An estimated 1,000 hectares of forest will be managed with continuity forestry.

The forest strategy focuses on the next 20 years.