Tag: Finland

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.

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.

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.

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.