Nordic Wild Berry and NTFP Conference
7.–8.10.2025, Rovaniemi, Finland
Programme
Ice Breaking: Science Centre Pilke (Ounasjoentie 6)
Conference: Science Centre Arktikum (Pohjoisranta 4)
Dinner: Hotel Santa Claus (Korkalonkatu 29)
Conference: Science Centre Arktikum (Pohjoisranta 4)
Dinner: Hotel Santa Claus (Korkalonkatu 29)
| Day 0, 6 October 2025, Monday | ||
| 18:00–20:00 | Ice-breaking session in Pilke Science Center (Ounasjoentie 6) | |
| Day 1, 7 October 2025, Tuesday | ||
| 08:00–08:30 | Registration & Morning coffee | |
| 08:30–08:45 | Opening remarks | |
| Session 1: Wild Berry Biocompounds for Health and Other High-Value Applications | ||
| 08:45–09:05 | Anni Alatalo: Crowberry demonstrates health promoting effects on hepatic and systemic inflammation in obesity. An experimental study. | |
| 09:05–09:25 | Iiro Piippo: Lingonberry supplementation induces anti-obesity and health-promoting effects on gut microbiome in mice on high-fat diet | |
| 09:25–09:45 | Jenni Tienaho: High value-added products from lingonberry processing to yield bioactive waxes and extracts | |
| 09:45–10:05 | Katja Karppinen: Softening bilberry fruit as source of hydrolytic enzymes for depolymerization of plant biomass | |
| 10:05–10:25 | Susan Kunnas: Added-value fractions of cloudberry side streams by cascade processing | |
| 10:25–11:00 | Keynote speech & reflections: Jasmiina Vilpponen, Chief Operating Officer & Co-founder, BärBar Inc | |
| 11:00–12:00 | Lunch | |
| Session 2: Phenology, Performance, and Distribution of Wild Berries under Changing Climates | ||
| 12:00–12:20 | Ola Langvall: Swedish forest berry phenology for short-term forecasts and long-term scenarios of climate change effects | |
| 12:20–12:40 | Inger Martinussen: Impact of Arctic Climate on Wild Berry Distribution, Growth, and Harvest Yields | |
| 12:40–13:00 | Laura Jaakola: Climatic and geographical factors affecting the performance and quality of wild Vaccinium berries | |
| 13:00–13:35 | Keynote speech & reflections: Professor Per-Ola Hedwall, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences | |
| 13:35–14:15 | Coffee break & Poster Session | |
| Session 3: Strategies for Enhancing Wild Berry Resources and Industry Networks | ||
| 14:15–14:25 | Agita Tremaine: Commercial thinning increases bilberry and lingonberry cover | |
| 14:25–14:45 | Jukka Tikkanen: Berries and other non-timber-forest-products in Forest Planning | |
| 14:45–15:05 | Martin Jensen: Pathways for exploitation of superior European Blueberry plant material for future commercial berry production | |
| 15:05–15:25 | Teija Kanniainen: Companies of non-wood forest products sector as network actors | |
| 15:25–16:00 | Keynote speech & reflections: Program Director Mikko Kurttila, Natural Resources Institute Finland | |
| 18:30–21:00 | Conference Dinner, Hotel Santa Claus (Korkalonkatu 29) | |
| Day 2, 8 October 2025, Wednesday | ||
| Session 4: Monitoring, Mapping and Managing Access to Wild Berries | ||
| 09:00–09:20 | Juha Hyyppä: Automatic cloudberry classification and mapping using deep learning | |
| 09:20–09:45 | Juha Hyyppä: Automatic processing flow for bilberry yield maps using airborne laser scanning and crowdsourced terrestrial images | |
| 09:45–10:05 | Elaina Weber: Commercial foragers on common lands: Nature’s friends or foes? | |
| 10:05–10:25 | Anne Matilainen: Large forest owners representatives' attitudes towards organic collection areas of non-wood forest products” | |
| 10:25–10:45 | Marcus Klasson: Swedish consumers’ perspectives on wild bilberries: attitudes, consumption patterns, and foraging behaviour | |
| 10:45-11:20 | Keynote speech & reflections: Senior Scientist Bjørn Egil Flø, Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research | |
| 11:20–11:40 | Concluding remarks | |
| 11:40–13:00 | Lunch |
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| 13:00–17:00 | An excursion to the natural sites in the surroundings of Rovaniemi led by students from Lapland University of Applied Sciences. | |