National Forest Programme looks towards the future

The National Forest Programme 2010, adopted in Finland in 2000, strives for forestry which is sustainable economically, socially and ecologically

• by increasing the growth of wood and thus of harvesting potential from the current figure of under 60 million cubic metres to 63–68 cubic metres annually
• by doubling the processing value of timber product industry – such as the sawmill and board industry
• by increasing the use of timber for energy production to five million cubic metres per year

The National Forest Programme was prepared in broad collaboration, open to all interested individuals and organisations. Consequently, the programme incorporates the social sustainability of forestry, which includes such aspects as employment, vitality of rural areas and the traditional uses of forests, that is, hunting, reindeer husbandry, outdoor pursuits and scenic values.

The ecological goal of the programme is to achieve and maintain a favourable conservation status of forest species and habitats. This is reached by means of a combination of protection areas and commercial forests which are treated in a diversity of ways. The instruments include the establishing of national parks and other protection areas, the Natura 2000 network, the conservation programme of old-growth forests and the new Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland adopted by the Government in 2002.

New tools have also been developed for the environmental management of commercial forests. The National Action Plan for Biodiversity for the years 1997–2005 includes a total of 124 measures for safeguarding biodiversity.

12. Annual timber flow in Finland.

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