The pollen season has begun in southern Finland, after flowering hazel bushes were spotted this weekend. Pollen from alder trees in central Europe has also now been recorded in southern Finland, in quantities that are small but still able to induce symptoms in allergy sufferers.
Such an early start to the pollen season is rare, says aerobiology scientist Anna-Mari Pessi from Turku University. “It’s very unusual. Of course, the hazel and alder always flower in February in central Europe, but the pollen from there rarely reaches Finland. It’s even rarer that flowering shrubs should be spotted here so early in the year,” she said.
According to Pessi, the last time the allergy season got off to such an early start was spring 2008. The reason is almost always long-distance transport, though sometimes early flowering of Finnish trees and shrubs is to blame too.
Pessi predicts a miserable springtime ahead for allergy sufferers, as symptom-causing pollen stays in the air for a longer period of time and is not going to disappear. Alder trees may begin to flower in Finland in a few weeks’ time.
Finland's other widespread source of allergy - the birch tree - also usually begins to flower in the last week of April. However if the weather continues to stay mild it is possible this could happen sooner in 2014. As a result Passi estimates that birch pollen levels will be higher this spring compared to last year, which was a particularly long winter.
“This year we’ll be repaying the debt of last year’s late start to the allergy season,” Pessi said.
Most allergies in Finland are caused by birch trees and hay.
