Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management in Finland

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1 Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management in Finland

2 Jessika, did you know, that here in Finland we have over 4 hectares of forest land per capita? And that 61 % of productive forest land is owned by normal Finnish families and 25 % by state? Yes, Leo, I knew that. My grandpa is also a forest owner, like 14 % of Finns are. But bet you didn t know that 83 % of all the wood cut comes from those family-owned forests.

3 We Finns know our forests inside out Metsään.fi portal Forest owners can today take care of their forestrelated business from the comfort of their own homes. Metsään.fi-portal is a service that offers the latest information and maps on their forest properties. Information is displayed for each forest stand compartment, broken down by soil type, tree species and natural occurrence. This service suggests possible loggings or other forest management activities and it also provides related income and cost estimates. The service is available free of charge for all private forest owners. 3

4 My grandma owns forest too. And she says that her forests grow a lot of money. She manages them like a pro. Ok, but my grandpa has preserved one corner of his best forest just for me. When I grow up, I can decide what I want to do with it. It s great that we all have different ideas what we want to do. That is why our forests are different too.

5 High quality information and skillful forestry professionals help us make the right decisions Forest owners are all different and they want to manage their forests accordingly. Best Practices offer numerous management options for their needs. Indifferent 10 % Investors 16 % Multiobjective 30 % Self-employed 20 % Recreationists 24 % Source: Natural Resources Institute Finland, 2010

6 Laws and forest certification set limits for the use of commercial forests Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management guide forest owners towards their goals in practice. 3 cases 6

7 Case 1: Protection of waters Finland is a country of thousands of lakes The law forbids polluting the waters and obligates to protect the ground water. Certification requires us to protect the waters by leaving protective zones of land along the lake shores and other waterways. Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management offer tools for water protection such as alternative management methods, timing of operations, and technical solutions regarding e.g. drainage systems. 85 % of commercial forests are certified (PEFC or FSC). 7

8 Case 2: Thinnings The Law defines the minimum growing stock to be left on the site. If the thinnings are more severe, the owner must ensure the growth of the new stock. Certification brings more demands such as favouring mixed forests and taking gamekeeping into account. Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management offer forest owners tools such as when and how to thin and what options there are for the improvement of forest biodiversity. 8

9 Case 3: Decaying wood secures diverse nature In the law the requirements to assure a certain amount of decaying wood to be left in the forest are connected to specifically defined, nationally mapped target areas. Certification includes requirements for saving living retention trees and decaying large dimension timber. Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management advice where to leave the retention trees and how to keep the decaying wood intact during logging operations. 9

10 Best research knowledge combined with practical solutions Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management are prepared in an extensive and highly-valued collaboration process; it includes researchers, forest owners, forest industry representatives, NGOs, practitioners, etc. This process ensures that we benefit from everyone s combined wisdom, the Best Practices are put in use and that the whole value chain runs smoothly. Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management are available online at The work is coordinated by Tapio Ltd. 10

11 Private forest owners have received professional guidance for over 100 years Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management belong to the forestry professionals basic training. Detailed guide books are available on specific topics. Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management Protection of waters Gamekeeping and forest management Peatland forestry Profitable forestry Biodiversity and forest management Maintenance of forest roads Energy wood harvesting

12 Why are the Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management important? The Best Practices are prepared in an exceptionally extensive stakeholder collaboration, which ensures balance between different areas of sustainability. Good forest management is the basis for profitable forestry and the growth of wood-based bioeconomy." -Tomi Salo, Finnish Forest Industries Federation The Best Practices offer advice on how to take forest biodiversity into account. Making use of the new forest management options definitely pays off." - Jari Luukkonen, WWF 12

13 Thank you! The symbol for Best Practices for Sustainable Forest Management is an image of a wood grouse drawn by Erik Bruun. The wood grouse needs diverse environments during its lifetime and it adapts to forest management if its leks are preserved. Tapio Ltd More forest facts: Forest.fi