Maximizing value from forests
In 2023, the Finnish forest industry utilized in total 57.8 million cubic metres of domestic raw wood. The industry primarily harvests wood for logs or pulpwood, with logs serving as raw material for sawmills and pulpwood for pulp mills. This classification is crucial as it determines the refinement path of the wood.
The pulp industry refines pulpwood that, due to its small diameter, is not suitable for sawn timber production. The pulp industry also utilises byproducts from sawmills, that is, the parts of the trunk that cannot be refined into sawn timber.
Efficient logging practices
Finnish forestry is characterized by periodic cover forestry, where forests are managed in cycles that mimic natural development. The process includes maintaining the sapling stand, followed by one to three thinning cuts, and a regeneration cut at the end of the rotation period. Typically, only pulpwood is acquired from the first thinning, while regeneration felling can yield 70–90% logs.
Utilizing the entire tree
At Metsä Fibre’s Rauma mills, the proximity of the sawmill and pulp mill allows for efficient synergies. The Rauma sawmill produces dried sawn timber for the component and carpentry industries, and the byproducts, such as wood chips, are sent to the pulp mill. Bark and sawdust are used as bioenergy sources, ensuring that no part of the wood goes to waste.
“All wood raw material arriving at the site is utilised. Nothing is left unused,” says Johanna Harjula, Mill Manager at Rauma sawmill.
From pulpwood to bioproducts
The pulp process at Rauma mills converts wood chips into pulp, bioenergy, and other bioproducts. The wood chips are boiled in cooking chemicals to dissolve lignin and extractive agents, allowing the fibers to be restored as undamaged as possible. About half of the wood raw material is processed into pulp, while the other half is used to produce electricity, energy, turpentine, and tall oil.
Energy self-sufficiency
The Rauma pulp mill boasts an electricity self-sufficiency rate of 180%, producing nearly twice as much electricity as it needs. Metsä Fibre’s most modern mills, like the Kemi bioproduct mill, have an even higher self-sufficiency rate of 250%. The surplus energy is delivered to the national grid.
Sustainable and resource-efficient production
Metsä Fibre's operations are grounded in the sustainable use of raw materials and resource-efficient production. The company aims for all its production facilities to be waste-free and fossil fuel-free by 2030, reflecting a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation in the forest industry.
This article was originally published in Fibre Magazine issue 2025.