Aiming for thriving forests

Forest management influences the speed of new forest growth and the tree species found in the forest. Good forest management also helps trees grow into valuable robust log wood more quickly. In addition, forest management promotes the health of our forests by preventing forest damage and improves forests’ climate resilience. Forest management practices are based on research results and on the common research-based recommendations for good forest management agreed by the forest sector.

We pay attention to the environment in all our forestry measures and are committed to the principles of regenerative forestry. The goal of regenerative forestry is to ensure that the state of forest nature does not deteriorate but improves, and that Finnish forest assets are transferred in a more vibrant, diverse and climate resilient condition from one generation and owner to the next.

Each stage of forest management affects tree growth and the success of the following management measure. High-quality forest management work performed at the right time has a key impact on the kind of wood we have now and in the future.

Forests are always renewed after felling

To ensure the continuity of forestry, it is important to get new seedlings growing after regeneration felling. The Forest Act also includes provisions concerning the forest owner’s responsibility for forest renewal. The sooner regeneration measures are initiated after felling, the better the outlook is for good seedling growth.

Inverting is a soil preparation method developed by Metsä Group that has been shown to ensure excellent growth conditions for seedlings and reduce the costs of young stand management. In inverting, the surface of the soil is broken only where the seedling will be planted. Read more about the benefits of soil preparation.

Young stand management and thinning maintains growth space

Young stand management and thinning are used to give trees more space to grow. If trees are to retain their vitality, they need enough light, nutrients and growth space. If trees are spaced too densely, their diameter growth slows down, and they fail to produce economically valuable log wood for the forest owner. In a forest that is too dense, trees also die naturally.

Young stand management ensures good seedling growth and prevents damage to trees caused by an excessively dense growth environment. Timely young stand management saves costs and increases the yield of log wood across the forest cycle. We maintain the share of broadleaved trees in conifer stands from early cleaning onwards. In addition, we leave some areas untouched to create protective thickets.

When the forest has been thinned to the recommended density, the most robust trees of the highest quality can make better use of the increased growth space and nutrients.