The Forest Biodiversity Programme METSO 2008 –2016

The Forest Biodiversity Programme METSO

2008 –2016

Ministry of the Environment / Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry20101

Forests in Finland

Presentation / Author19.04.20232

Metso is also the Finnish name of the capercaillie

Metso is a well-known forest bird that has become scarce in Finland in recent years.

Capercaillie and many other forest birds, animals, plants and fungi will benefit greatly from the protection of more of the forest area under the METSO Forest Biodiversity Programme for Southern Finland.


Forests in Finland

Finland is the most forested country in the EU

• 75% of the land area covered by forest

• 22.8 million hectares• 13% of the forest area (3

million hectares) is protected or under restricted use

60% of the forest land privately owned

• 5 million Finns - 735 000 private forest owners

• one in every seven Finns is a forest owner

• small-scale forestry (average size 30 ha)

• over 95% of forests are PEFC certified

• Source: Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla)


Forests in Finland

• Forest sector employs 70 000 Finns (2009)• The entire forest cluster provides employment to almost

200 000 Finns• The total value of forest industry production is around 20

billion euros• The forest industry accounts for about 20% of all Finnish

goods exports


Finnish forest industry

Share of world's forests• 0.5%

Share of world production• Sawn goods: 3%• Wood pulp: 7%• Paper and paperboard: 4%

Share of world exports• Sawn goods: 5%• Wood pulp: 5%• Paper and paperboard: 11%

Source: Finnish Statistical Yearbook of

Forests 2009


Large share of forests protected in Finland

Ministry of the Environment / Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry20107Source: State of Europe's Forests 2007

No intervention (strictly protected)

Minimal intervention

Active management

From deforestation to SFM


19th CENTURYPoor agricultural countryDeforestation due to unsustainable forestry (timber harvesting, fuel wood, slash and burn cultivation, grazing)

20th CENTURYDevelopment of forest industries, rising timber prices, sustainable forest management, renewed forestry organisations

Most of the protected areas are in Northern Finland


Source: State of Europe's Forests 2007

Share of strictly protectedforests in different parts of

Finland


Instruments for the protection of forest biodiversity in Finland

Skogs-

certifiering

Certification of

forests

Skogs-

certifiering

NATURE CONSERVATION

ACT

METSO,

National Forest

Programme

FOREST ACT

Recommendations for

sustainable forest

management

FOREST

BIODIVERSITY

Landscape ecological

planning

(State-owned forests)

Multi-objective

planning

(Companies)

Forest management plans(Privately-owned forests)

National Forest Programme (NFP)

(PEFC)

National Forest Programme (NFP) and METSO

• International treaties on the conservation of forest biodiversity (CBD, UNFF, MCPFE, etc.) require national measures to attain the goals set in the treaties

• Finland's national goals are laid down by the Government Resolution Concerning the National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Finland 2006−2016

• METSO Programme was drawn up side by side with NFP to support the implementation of sustainable forest management

• Government resolution was issued in March 2008 for both METSO Programme and National Forest Programme 2015


Regional forest programmes and METSO

• Legal basis in the Forest Act• 13 regional forest programmes specific to each region• Guidelines on sustainable forest management and

conservation, use of wood and wood processing and multiple use

• Includes actions and financing• Forestry centres compile the programmes in close

collaboration with relevant stakeholders • Updated every five years• Regional forest programmes implement METSO in the

regions


Habitat-specific action programmes of METSO

1. Overview on forest biodiversity by the region

2. Habitat-specific goals according to organisations and legal instruments (Act on the Financing of Sustainable Forestry, Nature Conservation Act)

3. Plans on the management and restoration of habitats

4. Need for financing for the implementation and follow-up

5. Impacts of the programme on conservation, livelihoods, recreation, tourism and cultural values


Distribution of herb-rich forests (one of the METSO habitats)


Dark green colour indicates the locations where several herb-rich forest habitats were found in the NFI plot data

Source: 10th National Forest Inventory of

Finland

Acceptance of conservation among forest owners


Per cent of forest owners

32

34

23

24

20

16

15

12

Multiobjective owners

Recreationists

Self-employed ownersHedgers emphasizing financial security

2009

1999

Source: Karppinen /Finnish Forest Research Institute 2009

Main objectives of private forest owners

Conservation status of Finnish forests 2008

Forests and other

Forests *) wooded land area

WHOLE FINLAND1000 ha

%

Class 1: Strictly protected forests2 048 3 609

9.0 13.7

Class 2a: Protected areas where restricted forest management is

possible

133 190

0.6 0.7

Protected forests: 2 181 3 799

Classes 1 and 2a total 9.6 14.5

Class 2b : Forests with felling restrictions

782 963

3.4 3.7

All classes total2 963 4 763

13.0 18.1

*) Forests = annual growth > 0.1 m 3/ year. ‘Other wooded land area’ = growth < 0.1 m 3/ year.

(Source: Finnish Statistical Yearbook of Forests 2009)Ministry of the Environment / Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry201016

Threatened species in Finland

Ph

oto

: Tu

om

o N

iem

elä

Ph

oto

: P

etr

i Ma

rtik

ain

en

Ph

oto

: P

etr

i Ma

rtik

ain

en

Ph

oto

: Tim

o J

. N

iem

ine

n

Ph

oto

: Te

rhi R

yttä

ri

Ph

oto

: An

tti B

elo

w

Haavanpökkelökääpä Karhunkääpä

PohjantikkaKangasajuruoho

TuhkalatikkaNahkuri


• Human impact on biodiversity is the greatest in southern Finland

• Most of the threatened forest species occur in southern Finland

• In the latest evaluation of threatened species in Finland - in all ecosystems - 1 505 animal or plant species were classified as threatened

• They included 50 vertebrates, 759 invertebrates, 180 vascular plants, 142 cryptogams, and 374 fungi or lichens

• A large inventory programme on the threatened species - supporting METSO Programme - has been launched → results by the end of 2010

Documents

The Forest Biodiversity Programme METSO 2008 –2016