For the second year running, Siili Solutions has been compensating the carbon footprint of all its employees through 4H’s Taimiteko (Seedling Action) project. With the help of young people from Pirkanmaa, Siili has now planted more than 60,000 trees.
The partnership between Siili Solutions Oyj and 4H started in 2020 in Punkalaidun, Pirkanmaa. This summer, the planting of SiiliMetsä aka SiiliForest continued in Virrat. 4H's Taimiteko project provides employment for young people as tree planters and, at the same time, creates new carbon sinks in Finland. This year, 30,143 spruce and pine saplings were planted across an area of 15.1 hectares.
SiiliForest is one of the largest land areas to be forested as part of the Taimiteko project, and the company is the project’s main partner. The planted trees compensate for the carbon footprint of every Siili worker – including both their work and leisure time.
The planting work in Virrat provided work for 25 young people, and Siili’s planting week employed another 13. The young people employed in the Taimiteko project are mostly secondary school graduates who are looking for their first summer job. Each day, they plant around 500 trees.
"The young people understand how important this is"
Maarit Toroskainen, Executive Director of 4H Virrat and coordinator of the planting work, explains how it all went outstandingly. Toroskainen was supervising the planting on location back in June.
‘The young people were highly motivated and the terrain was of the best kind. They took the planting work seriously and understood the importance of this cause. There was also some good discussion with the young people about climate change and the importance of donors,’ she says.
Toroskainen reports that the dry and hot summer has not prevented the seedlings from getting off to a good start.
‘I take my hat off to every young person who came to do this work. You certainly end up covering a lot of kilometres while working through a 15-hectare area with a heavy seedling container. We are really happy to be involved in this project.'
Juha Venäläinen, Field Manager for the Taimiteko project, adds that the autumn checks have shown the Siili seedlings to be doing well despite the summer drought.
'This summer's planting work went very well,' he concludes.
Last year’s seedlings have started to grow
Last year, young people from Pirkanmaa planted almost 30,000 trees in Punkalaidun – a total of 15 hectares of new forest!
‘The seedlings planted last year in Punkalaidun have done well. They have already begun to grow,’ reports Venäläinen.
We are also pleased to announce that 4H and Siili’s Taimiteko partnership is set to continue in 2022.