1. Nature tourism and non-wood products
have a share of 30% from the value of
various forest products
Value of non-wood forest products accounts for 6%
of the total value of forest products.
Wood-based bioproducts
widen the future development
of the forest industry
Traditional forest industry products are
being joined by a wide range of new
wood-based bioproducts such as fibre
packages, biodiesel, composites,
biopolymers, pharmaceuticals,
cosmetics products.
SOURCE:
Statistical Yearbook of Forestry, 2014. Luke.
Statistics Finland, 2015
National Forest Strategy, 2015.
Authors: Jari Parviainen and Markus Lier, Luke
www.luke.fi
Publishers:
Principal messages
• The Finnish Government approved in 2015 the new National
Forest Strategy 2015–2025 with goals 1) creating a competi-
tive operational environment for forest business, 2) renewing
the forest sector, and its structure in order to diversify
forest products, 3) continuing to use forests according to the
principles of sustainable forest management.
• The growing stock has increased over past 50 years by
more than 40%. Over the same period, wood equivalent to
the current tree volume, 2,3 billion cubic metres, has been
harvested and used for forest products.
• To safeguard biological diversity, close to nature manage-
ment, by leaving dead wood and protecting key habitats
have been undertaken in commercial forests. The area of
protected forests has been tripled over the past 40 years,
being now nearly 3 million hectares (13.0 % of the forest
area).
• Finland’s forests are carbon sink, removing annually carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere about 30 million. This amount
compensated 40% of the carbon emission from Finland’s
industry per year.
• Changing climate is estimated to increase forest growth, but
the extreme weather phenomena, notably local storm and
bark beetle damages will probably become more common
in the future.
• Wood is expected to be more in demand in the production
of renewable forest energy, biofuels, in new bioeconomy
products such as clothing, fiber packages, composites,
pharmaceuticals, cosmetic and in wood construction.
• The forest sector contribute 4% of the GDP of Finland, and
employ about 65 000 people. Annual value added in forest
is 6.7 € billion. The most important market area of Finnish
forest industry products is Europe, 70% of the export of the
wooden products.
Strictly protected forests largest in
Europe
The area of strictly protected area accounts for 9% of
Finland’s total forest area. The total area of protected
forests and forests under restricted use is 3 million
hectares, or 13.0% of all forest
land.
Forest sector contributes about 4% of
Finland’s GDP
Forest industry products account for almost 20% of
Finland’s total exports. The value added of the forest
sector accounts for about 6,7 billion EUR.
Based on the Criteria
and Indicators of
Sustainable Forest
Management
Finland’s
forests 2015
• Forest resources
• Productive functions
• Health and vitality
• Biological diversity
• Protective forests
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Share of the GDP (1975–2013), %
Forest sector
Forestry
Wood-products industries
Pulp and paper industries
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
No active intervention
Minimum intervention
Conservation through
active management
Scale: 1 million ha
Source: State of Europe´s Forests.
Lichen, exports <1%
Moose etc. 7%
Game birds 2%
Reindeer meat 2%
Nature tourism 88%
30%
Non-
wood
goods
70%
Wood
from
forests
Wild berries,
purchased
by companies 1%
Wild mushrooms,
purchased by companies <1%
• Socio-economic
functions

2. Wood-based fuels 25% of total energy
consumption
The use of wood-based fuels has increased in Finland
since the 1990s. The share of wood-based fuels of all
renewable energy sources accounted for over 85%.
Finland – the most extensive forest cover
in Europe
Some 23 million hectares (76%) is under forests in
Finland, representing about 11% of the forest area in
Europe (210 million ha).
Over 60% of forests are privatly owned
Forest ownership
category
Forest
land
area
Growing
stock
Annual
increment
Commercial
roundwood
removals
Share (%)
Private 60.1 64.7 72.8 82.1
Companies 8.2 8.7 - -
State 25.4 20.8 27.2 17.9
Other (municipalities, 5.4 5.7 - -
parishes, associations)
Forests sequestrate nearly 40% of the CO2
emissions of Finnish industries
Finland’s forests are major carbon sinks, as they absorb large amount of CO2
from the atmosphere.
Wood as building material promoted
In Finland, wood accounts for about 40% of all building
material. 80% of the single family houses and 50% of
the linked houses are made of wood as a load bearing
material. The aim is to increase the construction of
wooden multi-storey
apartment buildings
from the present share
2% until 10% before the
2020.
Growing stock steadily increased over
last 50 years
According to the latest National Forest Inventory (NFI)
the volume of growing stock has increased by more
than 40% since 1971, being now 2,332 million m3
.
Annual increment exceeded the drain
by 30%
Since the mid-1970s, wood equivalent to the current
volume of the tree stock, about 2,332 million m3
, has
been harvested and used.
Old and young
generation of the
family thinking on
the management
of their own forest
property.
Forest area in %
of land area
1–14
15–23
24–32
33–36
37–48
49–63
64–76
Source: State of Europe´s Forests.
mill. m³
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
Broadleaves
Total increment
Drain
SpruceIncrement by tree species
Pine
Annual increment of growing stock and
annual drain (1935–2013)
1980 200019901960 197019501940 2010
mill. m³
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Pine
Spruce
Broadleaves
1921–
1924
1936–
1938
1951–
1953
1964–
1970
1971–
1976
1977–
1984
1986–
1994
1996–
2003
2004–
2008
2009–
2013
Growing stock volume on forest land, 1921–2013
1990 2000 20101995 2005
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Consumption of renewable energy sources (TWh), 1970–2013
TWh
Other forest industry by-products and waste products
Black liquor and other concentrated liquors
Small-scale combustion of wood
Heating and power plants
Hydro power
About 2000 m3
of wood
were used to build the Metla
House in Joensuu. This is
equal to a storage of 1900
tons of carbon for at least
200 years.
-60
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
mill. t CO2
-60
-40
-20
0
20
mill. t CO2
Finnish greenhouse removals
from forest land carbon pools
Finnish greenhouse gas
emissions
Growing stock
Soil, mineral soil
Carbon balance between emissions of
fossil carbon dioxide and net changes in
sequestration of carbon dioxide by forest land
Changes of carbon sequestration of forest
land by share of wooden biomass, dead
organic matter and soil organic matter
Soil, peat soils
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010