Research field stations

A forest station with long traditions, Hyytiälä Forest Station offers a base for diverse studies of Finnish natural environments.

Research in Hyytiälä focuses especially on the forest, peatland and lake ecosystems, as well as on peatland and forest management, silviculture and the atmosphere. Remote sensing techniques have been developed extensively around Hyytiälä.

The station incorporates SMEAR II, a world-class station for measuring ecosystem-atmosphere relations. SMEAR operates continuously and monitores variables related forest ecophysiology and productivity, soil and water balance, meteorology, solar and terrestrial radiation, fluxes, ambient concentrations, atmospheric aerosols, deposition and other environmental phenomena. SMEAR provides open data that researchers can use for many different kinds of studies.

Hyytiälä Forest Station is located in Juupajoki, approximately a one-hour drive north-east of Tampere, in Central Finland. The station operates all year round, offering services for research, courses and other gatherings and events.

The station is one of the research infrastructures of Helsinki Institute of Life Science. The station is maintained by the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry.

Research carried out at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station focuses on nature and the environment in the north.

Long-term monitoring projects, which survey the state of the environment, lie at the core of research at the station. The longest-standing of these projects, launched in 1946, focuses on fluctuations in vole populations. Various research projects related to climate change form an increasingly important part of the station’s activities.

The Kilpisjärvi Biological Station is nestled on the flanks of the Saana fell, bordering Sweden and Norway. The station operates all year round and offers a wide range of services to researchers and students as well as to other visitors.

The station is one of the research infrastructures of Helsinki Institute of Life Science. The station is maintained by the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

Research at the Lammi Biological Station focuses on the northern coniferous zone and its waterways.

The station offers outstanding laboratory facilities and other infrastructure for broad-based environmental research. Examples of research topics include the ecosystems of the coniferous zone, water quality of the surrounding waterways and pathogens in waterways.

The Lammi Biological Station is located in Lammi, in the Kanta-Häme region in southern Finland. The station operates all year round, providing diverse opportunities for research and teaching. Lammi also serves as a venue for a variety of seminars and courses. The science and nature trail in the vicinity of the station is open to everyone.

The station is one of the research infrastructures of Helsinki Institute of Life Science. The station is maintained by the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

Located in Kenya, the Taita Research Station is home to multidisciplinary research into the East African environment.

Other research topics include the vegetation and biodiversity, waterways, land use, livelihoods and climate change of the Taita Hills and surrounding areas. The station supports research that promotes the goals of sustainable development and helps preserve biodiversity and ecosystems.

The Taita Research Station is the southernmost location of the University of Helsinki. It is located in the Taita Hills in south-eastern Kenya.

The station is maintained by the Faculty of Science.

The Tvärminne Zoological Station is a marine station that has been home to diverse and high-quality biological research since 1902.

The station offers an excellent setting and facilities for research into coastal ecosystems, providing researchers with laboratories, research vessels, sampling equipment and other infrastructure. Research focuses on the brackish coastal waters of the Gulf of Finland, as well as on evolutionary and population biology.

The Tvärminne Zoological Station is located near Hanko, at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea. The station operates all year round and also offers a wide range of services to seminar and meeting organisers.

The station is one of the research infrastructures of Helsinki Institute of Life Science. The station is maintained by the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

The Viikki Research Farm provides facilities for research into agriculture.

The facilities are mainly used for the research and education needs of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of the University of Helsinki. The farm comprises 155 hectares of arable land, a cattle shed and 70 dairy cows. The arable land and farm animals are used in agricultural research.

The Viikki Research Farm may well be Finland’s most urban farm environment, seeing as it is centrally located on Viikki Campus in Helsinki. The farm provides services mainly for research and education purposes.

The farm is one of the research infrastructures of Helsinki Institute of Life Science. It is maintained by the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry.

The Värriö Subarctic Research Station is home to research into the atmosphere and northern ecosystems.

Most of the research in Värriö is presently linked to climate change and is based on data from the SMEAR measurement station. The station collects long time series observations of, for example, phenology, berry and cone yields, as well as birds and insects, which are used to monitor changes in the northern forest and fell environment.

The Värriö Subarctic Research Station is located in the municipality of Salla, in Lapland, surrounded by the Värriö Strict Nature Reserve. The station primarily offers services to researchers and students.

The station is maintained by the Faculty of Science.