FINLAND'S forestry and paper industries have attracted world attention but for all the wrong reasons. The country is ravaging its ancient forests with mechanical tree harvesters, according to an article in the German news weekly, Der Spiegel.

These accusations have been rejected vehemently by Finland's forestry industry as an example of "environmental imperialism". It says that the country has had a forestry conservation law for decades.

Nevertheless, the Finns are shaken by these claims. Wood, pulp and paper products account for 36 per cent of Finnish exports and such allegations could seriously endanger these industries.