Everyman’s rights – the Finnish tradition of public right of access to land – and the broad-based private ownership of forests act as safeguards to the diverse use of forests.
The sustainable and diverse utilisation of forests ensures the availability of renewable timber for the needs of the forest industry and safeguards their recreational use possibilities as well as promotes the vitality of regional economies and the conservation of biodiversity in the forest environment.
Forest resources are increasing
Finland is the most forested country in Europe; about three quarters of our land area is covered by forest. The production volumes of the forest industry have increase manifold over the last 50 years, while the wood resources contained by forests have increased by more than a third over the same period. This increased growth is the result of sustainable forestry practices.
The annual growth of Finnish forests (104 million m3) is greater than the aggregate annual felling volume (about 55 million m3), which means that the nation’s forests resources are growing constantly. Forest resources would continue to grow even if industrial wood use increased by a quarter from the present level.
Majority of Finnish forests are owned by families and individuals
Family forest owners own 60% of Finland’s woodlands. This ownership is divided between a large number of people as every seventh Finn owns some forest. The large number of private forest owners is in itself a safeguard to the diverse utilisation of forests – owners will, after all, use their forests according to their individual needs.
The State owns a little more than a quarter of all forests in Finland. The utilisation of State forests is planned in cooperation with the citizenry and other stakeholder groups. Forest products companies own nine percent of Finland’s woodlands.
Multiple-use forests form a foundation for prosperity
The economic, ecological and social sustainability of using forests for multiple purposes is always considered. Logging activities annually target some three percent of forests that are designated for commercial exploitation. The growth of Finland’s forests has, ever since the 1970s, outpaced their utilisation.
Finland’s strict Forest Act steers utilisation practices and, for example, obligates owners to regenerate forests and to safeguard biodiversity. Forest certification schemes are in place to ensure that the provisions of the Act and the principles of sustainable forest use are observed. Over 95 % of the forests in commercial use are certified. In Finland, PEFC is the dominating certification scheme. Also FSC is increasingly used especially in the chain-of-custody certification.
In Finland, forests are of great significance to both the citizenry as well as to the entire national economy. The forest industry accounts for a fifth of aggregate export revenue and the forest cluster as a whole employs about 200,000 people. Forest utilisation creates prosperity throughout the nation and helps sustain infrastructure in more remote regions of our country.
Everyman’s rights a Finnish peculiarity
Everyman’s rights guarantee that all citizens are permitted to walk in the woods of Finland and to pick berries or mushrooms regardless of who owns the forest. To Finns, forests are an important source of relaxation and recreation. In a good place to live, forests are nearby, providing people with the opportunity to wind down in between their fast-faced everyday lives.
Three out of four Finns are involved with a forest-related hobby and two out of three engage in outdoor pursuits in a natural environment every week. Every second Finn lives within about a kilometre of land where they can pick berries and mushrooms. The popularity of nature travel is now growing and it is attracting foreigners to Finland as well. The great importance of forests for Finnish society is strongly evident also in our arts, such as in paintings and music.
Forest conservation at an exemplary level in Finland
Nature management in forests in commercial use plays a crucial role in the conservation of natural diversity. The Nature Conservation Act and the Forest Act safeguard habitats that are significant to the natural diversity of commercial forests.
Forest owners’ voluntary conservation of nature values in commercial forests also plays a significant role in the protection of biodiversity. Among other things, forest owners voluntarily exclude high nature value locations from logging as well as leave retention trees and deadwood in felling sites. Almost 10% of Finland’s forests are under strict conservation.