Finnish forests are owned by Finns

As is the case elsewhere in the European Union, the majority of Finnish forests is owned by private citizens. Ordinary Finns own 61 percent of productive forest land in Finland. The number of forest holdings of at least two hectares in size is nearly 450,000, but some of them are under joint ownership of the heirs to an estate, especially if undistributed. Counting all Finnish citizens who own forest through any form of joint ownership, the total number of Finnish forest owners is about 900,000, which is almost one fifth of the population. The holdings are small in size: the average size of all holdings exceeding two hectares is a bit less than 24 hectares.

Nevertheless, the significance of these, the so-called family forests, is higher than their area would warrant, in terms of both economy and biodiversity. This is because the share of family forestry is greater in the forests of southern Finland, where the annual growth and the number of species are higher than in the north. As a result, non-industrial private forests yield more than four fifths of all timber felled in Finland. The average annual sales revenue derived by family forest owners from the felling is around €1.5 billion.

The second-largest forest owner in Finland is the state, with a share of some 25% of forestry land. The management of state forests is the responsibility of the Forest and Park Service (Metsähallitus), a state enterprise. About 45 percent of state forests are protected areas. As regards these, the Forest and Park Service is subject to steering by the Ministry for the Environment. Other forests managed by the Forest and Park Service are commercial forests, and their management is steered by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Forestry companies own about nine percent of Finland's forests, while the rest is owned by various bodies, such as municipalities and parishes.

	1. Finland – a land of forests.
	5. Forest ownership, share of non-industrial private forests…

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