137Cs concentration distribution was compared between two coniferous forest ecosystems in Southern Finland and Japan.
The time needed to reach steady-state 137Cs activity after the fallout was estimated in a forest ecosystem in Finland.
The vertical distribution of the 137Cs fallout was similar between the two forests.
137Cs was still mobile in soil surface layers in the Finnish forest 27 years after the accident.
Our results indicate that 137Cs remains in the internal cycle of the forest ecosystem for decades.