The Telkkämäki Nature Reserve (in Finnish: ''Telkkämäen luonnonsuojelualue'' or ''Telkkämäen kaskiperinnetila'') is an

open-air museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

and a heritage farm in the municipality of Kaavi, in the

Northern Savonia North Savo (or Northern Savonia; ; ) is a Regions of Finland, region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of South Savo, Central Finland, North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, and North Karelia. Kuopio is the largest city in the region and Kallavesi, ...

region of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It covers one square kilometer (0.39 sq mi). The reserve was established in 1989, allowing visitors to see how people lived and farmed when

slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...

agriculture was practiced in

Eastern Finland Eastern Finland (, ) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia to the east. History On September 1, 1997, the Mikkeli Province, the Kuopio Pr ...

in the 15th century. Some areas of Telkkämäki are still burned annually. The area is managed by a state-owned enterprise, Metsähallitus, which manages most of the protected areas in Finland.

Natural environment

Telkkämäki Nature Reserve is mostly covered by green-leafed forests, its most typical trees are

alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...

and

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

. There are also many damp forests around the farm. Wild berries such as wild strawberries (''

Fragaria vesca ''Fragaria vesca'', commonly called the wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry or European strawberry, is a Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant in the Rosaceae, rose family that grows naturally thro ...

'') and wild blueberries (bilberries) grow in the forests of Telkkämäki. Among the many bird species in the reserve are the chaffinch, the

common blackbird The common blackbird (''Turdus merula'') is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird. It breeds in Europ ...

and the willow warbler. The Arctic warbler (''Phylloscopus borealis'') and the

greenish warbler The greenish warbler (''Phylloscopus trochiloides'') is a widespread leaf warbler with a breeding range in northeastern Europe, and temperate to subtropical continental Asia. This warbler is strongly bird migration, migratory and Winter, winters ...

(''Phylloscopus trochiloides'') also nest there. There are three brooks in the area.

Slash-and-burn agriculture

Metsähallitus has been practicing slash-and-burn agriculture at Telkkämäki since 1993.

Turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties a ...

and

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

are typical crops grown on a Telkkämäki farm. The rye is indigenous to this area, and samples are saved in a gene bank.

Barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

and oat are also grown on the fields of this demonstration farm. There are many fields and meadows in the Telkkämäki heritage farm because of the mowing and grazing of the grounds associated with agriculture. Plant species in the old slash-and-burn clearings include the bluebutton (or field scabious), common yarrow (''Achillea millefolium'') and rough hawkbit. Meadow flowers to be found in Telkkämäki include the fireweed, meadow buttercup,

wild angelica ''Angelica sylvestris'' or wild angelica is a species of flowering plant, native to Europe and central Asia. An annual plant, annual or short-lived perennial plant, perennial growing to a maximum of , it has erect purplish stems and rounded umbe ...

and red campion. The bristly bellflower (''Campanula cervicaria'') grows in Telkkämäki. It is a threatened species in Finland.

Sights

There is an authentic farm and farmyard in Telkkämäki Nature Reserve that dates to the beginning of the 20th century. In the summer, Telkkämäki is a lively sight with farm animals such as the

finnhorse The Finnhorse or Finnish Horse ( , literally "horse of Finland"; , literally "finnish cold-blood") is a horse breed with both riding horse and draught horse influences and characteristics, and is the only breed developed fully in Finland. In E ...

, eastern finncattle and finnsheep on the fields. There are also some hens and a rooster. There are two marked nature trails through the fields and forested land. It is possible to see the areas which have been molded by slash-and-burn fires. In the summer there is a Metsähallitus guide in Telkkämäki.

Gallery

Telkkämäen lampaita.JPG , Finnsheep of Telkkämäki. Gemeine Schafgarbe, weiss - gross.jpg , Common yarrow (''Achillea millefolium''). Fringilla coelebs Oulu 20110418.JPG , Common chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs''). Suomenhevonen - Finnhorse 3.jpg , A

Finnhorse The Finnhorse or Finnish Horse ( , literally "horse of Finland"; , literally "finnish cold-blood") is a horse breed with both riding horse and draught horse influences and characteristics, and is the only breed developed fully in Finland. In E ...

. Kaskialue Kaavin Telkkämäessä (2013).JPG , Slashed-and-burned soil. Ruis.jpg ,

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

References

External links

English info of the Kaavi municipality
at Kaavi.fi, archived by the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...

Video of slash-and-burn
at Telkkämäki in 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Telkkamaki Nature Reserve Agriculture in Finland Geography of North Savo Kaavi Living museums Natura 2000 in Finland Open-air museums in Finland Protected areas established in 1989 Tourist attractions in North Savo Nature reserves in Finland