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Day five of the Finland Bioeconomy trade and study mission


We started our last day at Riveria Technical Training School. Students spend 2-3 years learning to become Cut to Length harvester operators using simulators and harvesters from Ponsse and John Deere.

Next, we visited a forest thinning site and talked with the harvester operator about forest thinning methods

We were joined by the University of Eastern Finland Forestry department staff and walked through the forest discussing forest management practices and the impact of EU and Finland regulations.

At the end of our final night, we attended presentations by Kesla, the European Forestry Institute, Arbonaut, Forest Joensuu, and the city of Joensuu.

What did I learn? I will have several future posts about the differences between Finland and Minnesota forestry management.

Thank you to the Finland government, the Finland business development office, the businesses that hosted us, the university and school staff that taught us, and most of all the people of Finland. They truly love their forests.

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Day Four Finland Trade and Study Mission

Today we visited Ponsse PLC. Ponsse specializes in manufacturing cut-to-length forest machines. Their roots trace back to a small village workshop where Einari Vidgrén developed a load-carrying forest tractor in the late 1960s. Since then, Ponsse has become one of the world’s largest manufacturers in this industry, producing efficient and reliable machinery for forestry operations worldwide.

In the morning, we were given a presentation on the company’s history and current products. After lunch we gained hands on experience with the training simulators and then toured the factory. After the tour we headed to the forest to witness new Cut-to-Length systems being tested in the field.

We ended the day with dinner at the Ponsse Lodge.

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Day Three Finland Trade and Study Mission

Today we saw the Finland Bioeconomy in action. After a 3 hour bus ride from Helsinki, we arrived at HewSaw manufacturing.

HewSaw has the unique ability to maximize the yield from a log using computer vision and 4 thin kerf saw blades. The saw can process 1-2 logs a second!

Here is a HewSaw saw mill in action.

Our next stop was Metsä Fibre Pulp, one of the largest “bioproducts” mills in the world.

The mill strives to use 100% of the wood raw material.

Tomorrow, we visit Ponsse, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cut-to-length forest machines.

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Day 2 Finland Bioeconomy Trade and Study Mission

Day 2 was filled with policy discussions. Leaders from Finland’s government, Universities, Researchers, and trade associations met with the US and Canada trade and study mission members to discuss policy matters on a wide variety of Bioeconomy topics.

US Ambassador Douglas Hickey speaking to our group.

Finland’s Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry speaking to our group. I had coffee with Secretary Pesonen and he told me that he was an exchange student at the University of Minnesota and feels Minnesota is very much like his native Finland, but Minnesota might be colder!

Working with Finland policy advisors and Mission members from Washington, Michigan, Colorado, and Minnesota, we formulated an action plan for the forest sector of the USA to prepare for the coming Bioeconomy.

Colorado State Representative Elizabeth Velasco presented our action plan to the group at large.

Tomorrow we visit Hewsaw manufacturing and the world’s largest pulp mill.

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Welcome to Finland! Day One of the Bioeconomy Trade and Study Mission

Today is the first day of the Bioeconomy Trade and Study Mission to Finland. We visited three businesses essential to Finland’s Bioeconomy Plan: Stora Enso, UPM, and Valment.

First stop: Stora Enso


Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable products in packaging, biomaterials, and wooden construction.

Finding new sustainable, high margin uses for harvested trees is key to Finland’s bioeconomy plan. Stora Enso is at the heart of this effort. Visit their website product page to learn more. https://www.storaenso.com/en/products

Next stop UPM

UPM manufactures fiber products, wood products, molecular bioproducts and low-emission energy. These business areas are connected with a common idea: to create value from renewable and recyclable raw materials by synthesizing them with know-how and technology.


Our last stop of the day: Valmet

“Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions we serve an even wider base of process industries.”

Valmet makes the things that enable the bioeconomy.

Tomorrow we meet with leaders in Finland’s government to discuss policy and future plans for the bioeconomy.

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Why this focus on Finland all of a sudden?

Sleeping Bear’s Vandy Johnson will be joining the Bioeconomy Trade and Study Mission from the United States and Canada to Finland the week of June 9th, 2024. Finland has radically changed forest management practices over the last 20 years yielding more timber and a much healthier and resilient forest. There is much to learn from Finland about forestry management and the Bioeconomy!

Itinerary

Monday, June 10, 2024
Visit to UPM
Visit to Stora Enso
Visit to KIRAHub and tour to WoodCity Helsinki
Visit to Valmet

Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Unveiling the Future of Forestry: A Collaborative Workshop

Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Visit to Veisto
Visit to Metsä Fibre & Pro Nemus Visitor Center
Dinner in Jyväskylä with local guests

Thursday, June 13, 2024
Visit to Ponsse

Friday, June 14, 2024
Visit to Riviera
Visit to Joensuu: Forest thinning operation, Visit to Utra forest, etc

Vandy plans on posting information from the trade mission daily. He is also writing an article about the event for the fall edition of the Minnesota Forestry Association’s Minnesota Woodlands newsletter.  Vandy will join other Minnesota trade mission participants for a panel discussion at the MFA annual Gathering at the North Star Expo on Friday, September 13, 2024 at the Grand Rapids county fairgrounds. More details to come.

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Data is Key to Finland’s Forest Management Success

Finland forest management is different than forest management practices in the US and other parts of the world.

Finland has many forest policy tools:

Legislation
Statutory forest regeneration
Conservation of small ecologically valuable habitats


Strategies & programs
Bioeconomy strategy
National Forest Strategy 2025
Policy coherence


Financial incentives
Forest improvement
Biodiversity conservation
Incentives activates private forest owners for forest management

Information and advice
Publicly funded forest resource database
Forest management plans
Communication and education

The Finns use this framework:

Forest data is the key to making the framework and tools work. The Finnish Forest Centre’s forest resource database is the largest in the world.  Information on over 13.5 million hectares (32 million acres), covering 95% of forests in Finland. 

Forest owners can:

  • get an overview of their forests 
  • see recommended forest management and felling suggestions for their forests 
  • see natural sites situated in their forests 
  • see information about their forests on both maps and aerial photos 
  • receive diverse environmental information at different map levels 
  • report the sites in their forests on which they wish forest management to be outsourced
  • search for foresters to do forest management work in their forests 
  • share information about their forests with the operators of their choice 

Forest data has been gathered in Finland for over 100 years. Accurate forest data is the basis for all forest management planning activities.

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Finland Family Forest Culture

Finland is known for many world competitions:

Heavy Metal Knitting World Championships

World Wife Carrying Championships

But one world championship uniquely mirrors the Finland national passion:

Tree Hugging World Championships

The Swedes have a joke about the Finns:

Why are there no Finns on the moon?

They went, but there was no wood.

Finland is consistently named the “world’s happiest country” https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/where-women-govern/202303/why-fins-are-the-happiest-people

More than 70% of Finland is covered by trees and almost 10% is covered by lakes. Nature has always formed the basis of the Finnish way of life. Finland’s rise to prosperity is based on expertise in using renewable natural resources sustainably. Every Finn truly has an individual connection to nature; more than 80% of Finnish people say the forest is important to them.

Finland is a world leader in sustainable forest management. Commercial forestry must take into account forest biodiversity and carbon sinks. There’s a policy of planting three seedlings for every tree harvested, and logging never exceeds forest growth. Today there is over 50% more timber than 50 years ago.

The Finnish concept of Every Person’s Right means that anybody may hike, camp, and gather mushrooms and berries in any forest, regardless of who owns it. The Finnish relationship with the natural world goes beyond rest and relaxation and into business expertise.

Finnish forest ownership and forest management are all about values and traditions.

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Why are there fewer forest fires in Finland?

Finland is Europe’s most forested country.  Over 75% of Finland’s land area is covered by forest.  Yet, they have few forest fires as compared to neighboring Sweden, Russia, and the rest of the world.  Some scientists argue that Finland has too few fires.  Too few to encourage a diversity of species and habitats.

What is it about Finland?  Why do they have fewer forest fires?  

“The difference between the two Nordic countries is not explained by vegetation or climate,” Finland’s Forest Association said, “but is believed to be based on differences in infrastructure and forest management.”

Swedish researchers say the significant difference is forest thinning and continuous cover forestry.  Other researchers point to the system of firebreaks and access roads. 

Finland has managed to bring down the area annually destroyed by wildfires from more than 100,000 hectares a century ago to now less than 1 percent of that.

Data and the “family forest” culture may be the biggest contributors to better forest management.

The Finnish Forest Centre’s forest resource database is the largest in the world.  Information on over 13.5 million hectares (32 million acres), covering 95% of forests in Finland. 

Forest owners can:

  • get an overview of their forests 
  • see recommended forest management and felling suggestions for their forests 
  • see natural sites situated in their forests 
  • see information about their forests on both maps and aerial photos 
  • receive diverse environmental information at different map levels 
  • report the sites in their forests on which they wish forest management to be outsourced
  • search for foresters to do forest management work in their forests 
  • share information about their forests with the operators of their choice 

60% of Finland’s forest land is owned by private forest owners, compared to 38% in the United States.  The average family forest is 80 acres in size.

This “family forestry” tradition has fostered a deep connection to the land and a commitment to sustainable management practices.

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May is Stop the Bleed® Month – How you can save a life

Bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death after injury. With three quick actions, you can be trained and empowered to save a life.  Someone who is severely bleeding can bleed to death in as little as 5 minutes. That’s why bleeding control—keeping the blood inside the body—is the purpose of STOP THE BLEED® training.

The American College of Surgeons STOP THE BLEED® program has prepared nearly 4 million people worldwide on how to stop bleeding in a severely injured person.

Nearly 4 Million People Have Learned to STOP THE BLEED You can, too! Learn about free online and in-person classes in your area: https://www.stopthebleed.org/