North Karelia Hosts Forestry Deleg­a­tion from Hokkaido Japan

Hokkaido Forestry Deleg­a­tion Visited FinnMETKO in Jämsä and Forest BioEconomy-related Sites in North Karelia from August 29 to September 7, 2024

During the Hokkaido Forestry Delegation’s stay in Joensuu on September 2, 2024, Mr. Markus Hirvonen, North Karelia Region Mayor, and Ms. Naomi Moriyama, BIOSYS North Karelia Inter­na­tional Growth Ecosystem Project Manager and Commu­nic­a­tions Specialist for the Regional Council of North Karelia, welcomed the members of the Japanese deleg­a­tion at the Council’s office, Pielis­joen Linna, and presented the Region Highlights and the BIOSYS Ecosystem Overview to the distin­guished visitors.

From left Ms. Naomi Moriyama and Mr. Markus Hirvonen. Photo: “Smart Forestry EZO Model Building Council”「スマート林業EZOモデル構築協議会」
Hokkaido Forestry Deleg­a­tion. Photo: Naomi Moriyama

Mr. Yasunao Tachi­hara, Director of Forest Planning, Hokkaido Govern­ment Fisheries and Forestry Depart­ment, led the group.  RIVERIA Valtimo Campus, a forestry vocational collage which has been training students from Hokkaido Prefec­ture Technical School Kita-no-mori, and KESLA, a trusted partner of forestry businesses in modern forest techno­logy, jointly organ­ized their itinerary and travel logistics. 

After the BIOSYS present­a­tion, Region Mayor Mr. Hirvonen hosted a locally-flavored dinner for the guests at Bistro Heili at the Original Sokos Hotel Kimmel.  The restaurant chef crafted a unique menu using seasonal local ingredi­ents from North Karelia:

Appet­izer: Nettle soup with Jerus­alem artichoke and apples

Main: Fried pike-perch from Lake Pielinen with chanter­elle risotto and pike roe sauce or
Fried lamb fillet with chanter­elle risotto and red wine sauce infused with garlic

Dessert: Buckthorn posset with marin­ated buckthorns and white chocolate

Nettle Soup.  Photo: Naomi Moriyama
Pike-perch. Photo Naomi Moriyama
Buckthorn Posset. Photo Naomi Moriyama

During the dinner, Mr. Tachi­hara, Mr. Pasi Nieminen CEO, Kesla, and Mr. Hirvonen discussed a wide range of topics such as compet­itive strengths of North Karelia, the state of the bioforestry industry and current govern­ment forestry policies.

Special thank you goes to Mr. Janne Häyrynen, Kesla, for the impec­cable coordination.

 From Left Mr. Mr. Yasunao Tachi­hara, Director of Forest Planning and Mr. Mr. Pasi Nieminen CEO, KESLA. Photo: Naomi Moriyama
Bistro Heili Table Settings for the Hokkaido Forestry Deleg­a­tion Dinner. Photo: Naomi Moriyama
Mr. Markus Hirvonen enjoying conver­sa­tions with Mr. Tachi­hara and Mr. Nieminen over regional cuisine at Bistro Heili.  Photo: Naomi Moriyama

The BIOSYS North Karelia Inter­na­tional Growth Ecosystem is run by Natural Resources Insti­tute Finland / Luonnon­varakeskus as a project lead, the Regional Council of North Karelia Pohjois-Karjalan maakun­t­aliitto, Univer­sity of Eastern Finland and MKN Itä-Suomi | Rural Women´s Advisory Centre (RWAC) of Eastern Finland. The project is funded by Renewing and Competent Finland 2021–2027, EU Regional and Struc­tural Policy Programme’s Just Trans­ition Fund – JTF, and Regional Council of North Karelia.

For more inform­a­tion: Naomi Moriyama [email protected]