Which plants can you identify around you?
Forested dunes represent the final stage of dune development. They begin to form when junipers and seedlings of pine and downy birch spread onto the heathland above the coastal zone. As the trees gradually grow, they reduce the force of the wind and prevent sand from moving, eventually stabilising the dune. Dune forests are usually found farther inland and are characterised by dune ridges and hummocks. It is important for dune forests that their natural state be preserved, together with their deadwood and exposed patches of sand. Sandy dunes are highly permeable to water, so their slopes are often dry and barren places for plants to grow. These sunny forest habitats provide an important environment for many plant and insect species.
Dune forests are commonly home to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), and reindeer lichen (Cladonia rangiferina). On the sheltered sides of the dunes grow interrupted clubmoss (Spinulum annotinum), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), may lily (Maianthemum bifolium), and wavy hair-grass (Avenella flexuosa). The soil on the sheltered sides of the dunes is often finer in texture and as a result the vegetation may be more lush. Fine-textured soils often make nutrients more readily available than coarse soils.
Forest fires, clear-cutting, or other extensive damage to the vegetation can reactivate a dune, causing it to become mobile once again.
Sources:
The Finnish Environment Institute. Forested dunes. 2023. Habitat factsheet